Editor: Sabrina I. Pacifici
NYC Court Kills One ‘Cookie’ Suit Against DoubleClick, March 30, 2001
Taxes on the Web Shouldn’t be a Taxing Proposition, March 30, 2001
IBM, Microsoft and Pfizer Launch Online MD Venture, March 30, 2001
Privacy Advocates Question Platform for Privacy Preferences, March 29, 2001
Where’s the Wireless Web? March 29, 2001
WSJ.com to Lay Off Staff as Dow Jones Cuts Costs, March 29, 2001
Experts List Ways to Beat Cybercrime, March 29, 2001
Internet Not a Major Resource, Teachers Say, March 29, 2001
Microsoft Details Tablet PC Plans, March 29, 2001
Privacy Advocate Calls on Congress to Act, March 29, 2001
For Internet Wager, Shifting Legal and Financial Grounds, March 29, 2001
Justices Consider Status of Digital Copies of Freelance Work, March 29, 2001
Anti-Abortion Site Wins Appeal, March 28, 2001
House Commerce Committee OKs Anti-Spam Bill, March 28, 2001
Lawmakers Ask SEC to Probe Corporate ‘Spam’ Practices
Transatlantic Privacy War Heats Up, March 28, 2001
IE Bug Could Open the Door for Hackers, March 28, 2001
Net Usage Tracker Goes After Rivals, March 28, 2001
Microsoft Ready to Unveil Portal Software, March 28, 2001
NM First State to Offer Online Vision Test for Motorists, March 28, 2001
Freelances Writers Fight for Share of Online Profit, March 28, 2001
British Gov’t Plans to Go Online, March 28, 2001
Napster Says Stopped 275,000 Songs from Download, March 28, 2001
Firms Renew Assault on Privacy Rules, March 27, 2001
RIAA: Napster Filter a Failure, March 27, 2001
Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments in Digital Rights Case, March 27, 2001
British Courts to Take Pleas by Email, March 27, 2001
U.S. Objects to EU’s Proposed Rules Affecting Trans-Atlantic E-Commerce, March 27, 2001
Supreme Ct. Refuses to Revive Ohio Suit Against AOL, March 27, 2001
HealthSouth and Oracle Plan First Digital Hospital, March 27, 2001
Gates to Promote E-Government, March 27, 2001
Search Engines Fail to Keep Up With Growing Web, March 26, 2001
Tech Expert Eyed in Napster Case, March 26, 2001
Earlier Patent Could Potentially Play Role in Amazon Dispute, March 26, 2001
Scour Exchange Back in Legal Revival, March 26, 2001
IE Explorer Version 6 Public Preview Now Available, March 26, 2001
Corporate Sites Seem to Skimp on the Facts, March 26, 2001
Amazon.com Hunts for Partnerships, March 26, 2001
Patent Flap Slows Multilingual Domain Name Plan, March 26, 2001
Adobe to Unveil New Software to Create 3-D Worlds on Web, March 26, 2001
E-Commerce Report: Revised Forecasts Show How Assumptions Can Crumble, March 26, 2001
Women are Close to Being the Majority of Law Students, March 26, 2001
Privacy Group Targets TiVo, March 26, 2001
Latest Windows XP Beta Adds Strict Copy Protection, March 25, 2001
Up for Sale: Privacy on the Net, March 25, 2001
Policymakers Grapple with Patient Privacy Issue, March 24, 2001
EMusic Gets Technical in Napster Battle, March 24, 2001
AT&T Acquires MSN ‘s DSL Service, March 23, 2001
Taxing Web Transactions Would Further Harm E-commerce, March 23, 2001
Showdown at the Lexis-Nexis Corral, March 23, 2001
Magazine Fires Latest Salvo in DVD Case Appeal, March 23, 2001
Court Rules Against National Geographic in Copyright Suit, March 23, 2001
Anti-piracy Efforts Spark Battle Over Computer Hardware, March 23, 2001
HIPPA Privacy Rules Under Fire in Washington, March 22, 2001
Music Industry Tracking Individual MP3 File Sharers, March 22, 2001
Fraudulent Digital Signatures Issued in Microsoft’s Name, March 22, 2001
Amazon Sued by its Shareholders, March 22, 2001
Record Labels to File Complaint Next Week on Napster, March 22, 2001
Bush Ends ABA’s Role with Justices, March 22, 2001
ICANN Defends Intellectual Property Approach, March 22, 2001
Writers Fight for E-Rights, March 22, 2001
Removing Songs from Napster Entwined in New Legal Wrangling, March 21, 2001
VeriSign to Allow Web Site Names in Arabic, Hebrew, March 21, 2001
ITAA Warns Against Supporting Proposed Privacy Legislation, March 21, 2001
World’s First Deep Link Directory for the Mobile Internet, March 21, 2001
Microsoft Details Browser Privacy Tools, March 21, 2001
Sex.com Case Could Help Write Web Law, March 21, 2001
US Patent Office Slows the Pace of Patents for Business Methods, March 21, 2001 (WSJ)
Music Industry and Napster Still at Odds, March 21, 2001
Cryptologists Discover Flaw in E-Mail Security Program, March 21, 2001
Internet2 Crosses the Border, March 21, 2001
FBI Warns Infrastructure Vulnerable to Cyber-Attacks, March 20, 2001
Microsoft’s “HailStorm” Raises Privacy Concerns, March 20, 2001
ALA and ACLU Challenge Online Filtering Law (Children’s Internet Protection Act), March 19, 2001
Palm Vows Strong Defense Against NCR Patent Suit, March 19, 2001
Microsoft’s Strategy Shift Creates New Antitrust Concerns , March 19, 2001
New Web Page Shows Who’s Tracking You, March 19, 2001
Patents: No Claims on Amazon’s ‘One-Click’ Shopping Device, March 19, 2001
Bush Would Sever ABA’s Role in Screening Judges, March 19, 2001
Macs in 22% of Law Offices, March 19, 2001
Live, Online Reference Librarians Answer Questions in Virtual Chat Room, March 19, 2001
AltaVista to Debut New Online Newsstand, March 19, 2001
Dot-coms Pull Back on Internet Freebies, March 18, 2001
Amazon Pressed for More Details About Finances, March 16, 2001
Panel Stirs Privacy Debate Over Online Court Records, March 16, 2001
States Target Microsoft Suits, March 16, 2001
US Bailing Out of Safe Harbor Deal? March 16, 2001
Two CA Men First to Face Criminal Penalties for Spam, March 16, 2001
A Critical Need for a Federal CIO, March 16, 2001
Don’t Buy the Hype in Wireless Research, March 16, 2001
U.S. to Make State Dept. Hacker Proof, March 16, 2001
Can Law Firms Court the Net? March 16, 2001
Napster Traffic Drops Dramatically, March 15, 2001
AOL Wins State Fight Over Taxes, March 15, 2001
Britannica.com to Cut Free Service, Reduce Staff, March 14, 2001
Napster to Tap Online Music Database for Infringing Titles, March 14, 2001
FTC Workshop Looks at Key Data Privacy Issues, March 13, 2001
Napster Backlash: Will the Pain Spread? March 13, 2001
Federal Courts in New York Implement Electronic Filing, March 13, 2001
McGraw-Hill Settles Suit vs Reed Elsevier Unit, March 13, 2001
Napster Tells Court Filters are Working, March 13, 2001
Combo DVD/CD-RW Drives Flourish, March 13, 2001
Web Site Attacks Reflect Sytemic Problem, Security Expert Says, March 12, 2001
Microsoft, eBay Ink E-commerce Pact, March 12, 2001
Copyright.net Targets Napster Encoders, March 12, 2001
Adobe Acrobat 5.0 Announcement, March 12, 2001
Class Action Suit Says Oracle Lied About Software, March 12, 2001
Flaw Uncovered in TCP, March 12, 2001
Users of E-Mail Encryption Low, March 11, 2001
Yahoo Ad Woes Foreshadow “For Fee” Internet, March 10, 2001
Computer Policy Makers Debate Online Privacy Issues, March 10, 2001
Privacy Advocates Warn of the Steady Rise of Surveillance Technology, March 10, 2001
Record Labels Sending Napster List of 135,000 Songs to Block, March 10, 2001
Court Won’t Force Library to Filter Net Content, March 9, 2001
Excite@Home Offers New Search Tool, March 9, 2001
Europe’s Music-Piracy Solution: Taxes, March 9, 2001
FBI Uncovers ‘Largest Ever’ Organized Hacker Attack, March 8, 2001
Chief Privacy Officer: It’s A Dirty Job, But…, March 8, 2001
eToys Files for Bankruptcy, March 8, 2001
States Urge Congress to Resolve Cybertax Issue, March 8, 2001
Internet-Connected Devices Threaten Privacy, Expert Warns, March 7, 2001
Aimster tells Napster file filter to ‘pig off’, March 7, 2001
Conference Seeks Freeze-Frame On Privacy Today, March 7, 2001
Gartner Says Ruling Death For Napster, March 7, 2001
Court says libraries can’t be forced to limit Web access, March 7, 2001
FBI Reports on Internet Fraud, March 7, 2001
Hotmail’s Subscriber Information Shared with Public Internet Directory, March 6, 2001
Privacy Forum to Focus on Crime, Free Speech, March 6, 2001
AOL Time Warner Launches Netscape Toolbar on Content Sites, March 6, 2001
Start-Up Plans to Sell Web Addresses to Bypass Internet Bureaucracy, March 5, 2001
Copyrighted Songs Still on Napster, March 5, 2001
Amazon Soars on Wal-Mart Deal News, March 5, 2001
New York Post Archives Going on Internet, March 5, 2001
Bibliofind.com Finds Out it Has Been Hacked, March 5, 2001
DC Appeals Ct Overturns FCC’s Cable Ownership Caps, March 5, 2001
DOJ Accepts Antitrust E-Mail, March 5, 2001
Glasgow Libraries Ban Internet Access, March 5, 2001
AOL Sides with Anonymous Posters, March 5, 2001
New Tools Hatch for Sniffing Out Web Bugs, March 5, 2001
Yahoo Shares Plummet After News of Plans to Deter Hostile Takeover, March 5, 2001
Sharing E-Mail Banned by Law in Australia, March 4, 2001
Market Insight: Microsoft’s Future, In Court and the Markets, March 4, 2001
Napster Users Await New Feature, March 4, 2001
Napster Clone, Aimster, Uses DCMA to its Advantage, March 2, 2001
Launch of New Domain Names Behind Schedule, March 2, 2001
Web Develops Amazing New Tangles, March 2, 2001
Napster’s 11th hour Appeal, March 2, 2001
Government Web Sites Surrender to Madison Avenue, March 2, 2001
AltaVista Introduces New Features and Logo, March 2, 2001
Yahoo Moves to Discourage Hostile Takeover, March 1, 2001
Patently Bad? Tech Copycats May Catch a Break, March 1, 2001
Electronic Privacy at Work? Be Serious, March 1, 2001
Internet Explorer 6 Beta to be Released this Quarter, March 1, 2001
Other Sources for Breaking Tech News
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Library Web Manager’s Reference Center Current Awareness
Legal Publishers’ List – tracks mergers in the legal publishing field, and periodically posts related news items.
LLRX Newstand Archives
| Breaking News | Other Sources for Breaking News | Tech Trends | CongressLine: Federal & State Legislative News |
Information Management: Electronic Dissemination of Government Documents, March 30, 2001. This 86 report, in PDF, investigates whether future distribution of government documents will be in electronic format only.
One Hour to Midnight: Tasini Oral Arguments at the Supreme Court, March 30, 2001. Barbara Quint’s update on this important case includes links to background information, how to obtain transcripts of the oral arguments, and excerpts from the oral arguments presented by Laurence Tribe representing the publishers, and Lawrence Gold, representing the authors.
FindLaw Constitutional Law Center: New York Times Company v. Jonathan Tasini et al, March 28, 2001. Links to decisions, docket sheet, briefs (in PDF).
New York Times (reg. req’d)
Web Sites Found Lax in Protecting Child Privacy, March 28, 2001. A Report by the Annenburg Public Policy Center (U. Penn) found that the majority of the 162 web sites reviewed do not comply with federal regulations to protect children’s privacy online.
Annenburg Public Policy Center Press Release on Child Privacy and Websites, March 28, 2001.
Privacy Policies on Children’s Websites. Do they play by the Rules? March 28, 2001. The 22 page report is in PDF.
Hoover’s Online Now Available Via Virtually Any Wireless Device, March 28, 2001. “Wi reless device users can now search for and retrieve information on approximately 17,000 public and private enterprises worldwide via Hoover’s Wireless.”
Got a New Job? Better Check that Non-Compete Clause, March 27, 2001. “Recent court cases, driven in part by high-tech concerns, seem to be eating away at the concept of employee mobility, thereby giving employers the right to dictate what company an ex-employee may or may not join. ”
Library Card Catalog R.I.P, March 27, 2001. This is actually a really frightening story, from the perspective of a veteran research and librarian. Sonoma State University is employing a random access system by which books are stored boxes and retrieved using a computerized crane.
IE 6 Builds on Privacy, Advocates Question Default Setting, March 26, 2001. The new features of IE 6 will be the first full implementation of the WWW Consortium’s Privacy for Platform Preferences Project, dubbed P3P. IE 6 will contain a privacy tab allowing users to control how their browsers handle first-party cookies (from the site you are viewing) and third-party cookies (from advertisers). However, the pre-configured default setting accepts cookies without warning from sites that have a “compact privacy statement.”
Designing Web Sites to Maximize Press Relations, March 26, 2001. This 114 page PDF report (priced at $250) includes a useful, free executive summary. It reviews practical guidelines concerning successful Web site design to achieve a positive public relations and marketing impact.
Riding the Digital Wave, March 26, 2001. Laura Campbell, Associate Librarian for Strategic Initiatives, leads the Library of Congress into a technological future.
Napster Ruling Has Ripple Effect, March 25, 2001. “Distributors of music, video, research reports, and other content are taking a cue from Napster’s legal troubles and turning to new types of digital rights management technology as protection against lawsuits.”
New York Times (reg. req’d)
When Linking Isn’t Better Business, March 23, 2001. The Better Business Bureau recently requested that BizMove remove its unauthorized deep links to BBB pages. There is no absolute right to link, nor is there an absolute prohibition against so doing. However, the BBB has instituted a policy prohibiting links to its site by for-profit sites not affiliated with the BBB.
New Palms PDAs Shown with More to Come, March 21, 2001. New features include color screens, mobile connectivity and dual plug-and-play expansion.
Look for Free Legal Advice Online, March 21, 2001. This site offers free legal advice on both US and UK law < http://www.worldlawdirect.com/
>.
Multnomah County Public Library Filed Complaint in U.S. District Court Challenging the Constitutionality of the Children’s Internet Protection Act, March 20, 2001. This is a 64 page document in PDF.
American Library Association Filed Complaint Challenging the Constitutionality of CIPA, March 20, 2001. This is a 39 page document in PDF.
American Center for Law and Justice
ACLJ Will Work to Defend the Children’s Internet Protection Act, March 20, 2001.
Patents Are Your Friends, March 21, 2001. “ Can open-source programmers use intellectual property laws to protect themselves from corporate software snatchers?”
Delphion Updates Web Site, Enables Access to Derwent World Patents Index, March 19, 2001. “ Users may now search the Derwent World Patents Index via the Delphion site. Derwent on Delphion is available to both subscribers and nonsubscribers.”
Hoovers, Financial Times Agree to Share Content, March 19, 2001. Hoovers and FT will integrate key components of their free services into one another’s sites, including 3,000 business related stories per day from FT, and profiles on over 65,000 companies from Hoovers.
New York Times (reg. req’d)
Colleges Try Distance Learning Off Campus, March 21, 2001. “Some of the most successful distance learning programs have found that online education appeals to adult learners who need to take classes after work, or those who cannot travel to a campus and appreciate the flexibility of being able to take classes at home.”
For Medical Journals, A New Online World, March 20, 2001. The renowned British Medical Journal is migrating to Web access at no fee, joining a growing number of other medical journals that are offering wider global access to their information.
Big Media v. Freelancers: The Justices at the Digital Divide, March 19, 2001. After a seven-year fight that produced contradictory lower court decisions, on March 28 a case involving the intellectual property rights of freelancer writers will be argued before the United States Supreme Court.
Internet Filters Used to Shield Minors Censor Speech, Critics Say, March 19, 2001. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are joining librarians, libraries and web site publishers to overturn the Children’s Internet Protection Act.
Virginia Court’s Decision in Online ‘John Doe’ Case Hailed by Free-Speech Advocates, March 16, 2001. AOL’s Naspter competitor, Aimster, has devised a novel solution to Napster’s blocking: the Pig Encoder (www.aimster.com/pigencoder.phtml).
Putting Palm and Phone in One Hand, or Pocket, March 15, 2001. The $500 Kyocera Smartphone supports 99 speed dial codes, speech recognition, a full-blown Palm running the latest OS, a 2 by 2 inch touch screen, a synchronization cradle, and full integration between the phone and Palm apps.
The Price of Privacy, March 17, 2001. Internet privacy is a major hot button issue that has garnered the attention of lawmakers, government agencies and lawyers. Unlike the EU, where Internet users have a “fundamental right to privacy,” our government has been hard pressed to pass any significant legislation on the federal level. Collecting personal data on consumers is big business, and this article offers perspective on why consumers are wary and businesses are determined to continue to plunder the wealth of online info.
Slashdot.org Removes Posting Under Threat from Church of Scientology, March 17, 2001.
High Tech Titans Put the Squeeze on Privacy Regs, March 13, 2001. The muscle that comprises the Online Privacy Alliance (Microsoft, AOL Time Warner, AT&T, BellSouth, Sun Microsystems) are pursuing a strategy to kill privacy legislation at the state and federal level. They assert that such measures would cost consumers billions of dollars.
ALA to File Internet Suit Without Schools, March 12, 2001. The American Library Association, and the ACLU, will file challenges to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) on March 20. The ALA cannot sue on behalf of school libraries as it lacks the standing.
A related story from TheStandard.com: http://www.thestandard.net/article/display/0,1151,22766,00.html
New York Times (reg. req’d)
Compressed Data: After Napster, Falling Back on Pig Latin, March 12, 2001. AOL’s Naspter competitor, Aimster, has devised a novel solution to Napster’s blocking: the Pig Encoder (www.aimster.com/pigencoder.phtml).
New Web Browser Thinks in the Box, March 11, 2001. CubicEye is a new- fangled web browser that displays five web sites at a time, displayed on each side of a virtual cube. Navigation is accomplished by rotating the cube to zoom in on a specific site for optimum viewing, although all sites open simultaneously.
New York Times (reg. req’d)
E-Commerce: Pushing Ahead with Online Education, March 11, 2001. Several companies have not given up on the idea of selling e-learning classes, with revenue flowing from taking a commission on each sale.
The Dreams of Webzines Fizzle Out, March 9, 2001. The downturn in the dot-com economy has forced three high profile webzines, Salon.com, Inside.com and Slate.com, to go back to the future, and once again produce print versions of their publications.
Work.com to Close Amid Ad Slowdown, March 10, 2001. This business news and information site that replaced dowjones.com, and is backed by Dow Jones and @Home, will close on March 31, 2001.
Online Insecurity, March 6, 2001 A study sponsored by the Privacy Leadership Initiative shows that online users do not trust corporations or the government to protect their online privacy. The study will be released later this month.
The Reinvention of Privacy, March, 2001. “New surveillance and information-gathering technologies are everywhere these days, and they’re setting off all sorts of alarm bells for those who worry about the erosion of privacy.”
In Washington, George Knows Best, March 5, 2001. The Washington state home page (http://access.wa.gov/), has introduced its new search engine, Ask George, from the architects of Ask Jeeves.
Yale, Elsevier Science Announce Preservation Plan, March 5, 2001. “The “Yale University Library and Elsevier Science an initiative to create a digital archive using more than 1100 journals published electronically by Elsevier Science as a test-bed. The arrangement calls for the planning of a “library-based archive of the digital publications of Elsevier Science,” including a possible blueprint for the “business arrangements” necessary for maintaining such an archive over time.”
Napster’s Voluntary Filtering Plan is First Gambit in Arduous Legal Tangle, March 3, 2001. “Crafting new rules for the file sharer will have Judge Patel grappling with mind-numbing issues like file names versus song names and the way record companies catalog their music.”
New York Times (reg. req’d)
Locating Devices Gain in Popularity But Raise Privacy Concerns, March 4, 2001. New wireless devices designed to track property, such as cars and trucks, as well as people, are increasingly available, and small enough to be inserted into watch bands. These devices also provide the capability to deliver e-business information to users by identifying their location while traveling. The specter of Big Brother increases with the fact that by year’s end, authorities will be able to determine the position of cell phone users within 300 feet.
Professor Finds Her Legacy In Internet Law, March 2, 2001. A leading privacy law professor uses her personal wealth to spur discussion and promote the public interest in high profile Internet legal battles being wages in state and federal legislatures, courts and government agencies nationwide.
Privacy’s Guarded Prognosis, March 1, 2001. Extensive information from patient’s medical records, maintained in electronic format by insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, and others, finds its way into the hands of pharmaceutical companies, individuals who engage in identity theft, and even casual hackers. New federal rules governing patient privacy are set to go into effect April 14 but resistance to these measures is high.
Owning the Future: IP’s Bleak House, March 2001. This opinion piece juxtaposes the plot of Dicken’s novel with the current state of affairs regarding the flood of requests to the Patent Office for patents on business methods associated with the Internet. Several recent high profile cases of e-commerce patent cases are reviewed, and the ramifications of the ensuing messy and protracted litigation discussed.
Electronic Paper Turns the Page, March 2001. Not only does this article provide valuable information on the development of e-paper for use with e-books, it also includes an interesting set of graphics on E-Ink and Lucent Technologies prototype of electronic paper.
Legal E-Mail Tips, March/April 2001. Teach your employees to use e-mail safely and appropriately.
Congress Questions ICANN/VeriSign Deal, March 30, 2001. A bipartisan group comprising members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet want the Dept. of Commerce to explain its role in the renegotiation of the 1999 contract.
Senators Gregg, Kohl Introduce Net Tax Bill, March 30, 2001. The New Economy Tax Fairness Act (NET) would restrict the ability of states to collect sales tax on online purchases.
Lobbying Effort Fails to Block Antispam Bill, March 29, 2001. “A recently formed consortium of banking, insurance and securities firms that mounted an opposition campaign will now have to redouble its efforts in the full chamber, having lost in what is normally its most sympathetic venue.”
Congress Again Cool to Napster, March 29, 2001. “The chairman of the House Judiciary committee, which oversees copyright law, said Wednesday that any legislation that could help the increasingly embattled firm will wait until after the U.S. Supreme Court rules.”
U.S. Legislation Targets Wireless Spam, March 28, 2001. The Wireless Telephone Spam Protection Act, an amendment to the Communications Act of 1934, would make it illegal to use wireless calls to transmit spam.
House Commerce Committee OKs Anti-Spam Bill, March 28, 2001. The bill (H.R. 718), to crack down on unsolicited junk email, passed in a unanimous voice vote.
Commerce Committee Overwhelmingly Approves Wilson’s Anti Junk Mail Bill, March 28, 2001.
Cooking Up a Revised Spam Bill, March 27, 2001. The House Commerce committee markup will start the “Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act” down the same uncertain path it trod last year, when House legislators approved it 427-1 but the Senate never voted.
Senator Questions ICANN’s Legal, March 27, 2001. Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Montana) strongly opposes further legal empowerment for ICANN in relation to supervising the domain name system.
Can Congress Can Spam, March 27, 2001. The C.A.N. (controlling the assault of nonsolicited pornography and marketing) Act of 2001would institute standards concerning the distribution of spam, including the requirement of an opt-out capability so users can choose to refuse receipt. For more information on Spam related legislation, see http://www.spamlaws.com/us.html.
Representative Boucher Responds to Questions on Net Legislation, March 27, 2001. Rep. Rick Boucher (VA) answers a range of questions on digital rights, copyright law, Web taxes and fair use. This is well worth a read.
Napster Invites Fans to Attend Senate Hearings, March 26, 2001. “In a desperate attempt to drum up support from lawmakers, Napster wants its devotees to converge on Washington, DC, next week to attend the Senate hearing on digital copyrights, participate in a teach-in, and go to a special concert for members.”
State Legislative Sites Lack Oomph, March 26, 2001. According to a report of all 50 state legislative Web sites conducted by the independent organization, OMB Watch, all these sites consistently lack the proper navigation, content and accessibility required by citizens.
Republican Palm Push, March 26, 2001. The chairman of the Senate Republican Conference is urging his fellow Republicans to use PDAs to manage information ranging from their daily schedules to party position papers.
House Commerce Cmte. to Consider Anti-Spam Bill, March 23, 2001. The Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act (HR 718) would make it illegal for spammers to continue sending junk e-mail to anyone who has made it clear that they want the practice to cease.
Campaign Finance Amendment Proposes Net Disclosures , March 23, 2001. The amendment would reveal campaign contributions and other important campaign-finance related information to users of the FEC’s Washington, DC, headquarters, and anyone on the Web who chose to view it.
Lawmakers Try to Seal Officials’ E-Mail, Net Records, March 23, 2001. Indiana House Bill 1083 would bar public access to the email and Web records of public officials. Needless to say, the press is irate.
After Spam, Baloney to Swallow, March 22, 2001. Internet-related businesses are gearing up to combat state and federal attempts to regulate the online environment. The DMA or Direct Marketers Association are out to protect the rights of online marketers.
USDA Computer Security Draws Scrutiny by Congress, March 21, 2001. The GAO is reviewing whether hackers can alter market-sensitive crop data published by USDA.
House Subcommittee Pushes Anti-Spam Bill Forward, March 21, 2001. The “Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act,” which makes it illegal for spammers to continue sending junk e-mail to someone after they’ve been explicitly asked to stop.
E-Mail Overload in Congress: Managing a Communications Crisis, March 20, 2001.
House Cmte. on Energy and Commerce – Democrats
Rep. John Dingell Releases Statement on Medical Privacy, March 20, 2001.
State Web Sites Offers Little Practical Info – OMB Watch, March 19, 2001. A new report from OMB Watch asserts “that state legislature Web sites do not offer any information on their legislature’s committee or floor schedules, legislative calendars or session reports, and only about half provide plain-English definitions of legislative terminology.”
New York Times (reg. req’d)
Congress Struggles with Flood of E-Mail, March 19, 2001. The House is receiving 8,000 messages per month, while the Senate receives over 55,000 messages.
Goodlatte and Boucher Want to Fry Spam, March 17, 2001. The two representatives have introduced the Anti-Spamming Act of 2001, that would institute fines and jail time against those who send unsolicited emails.
Senate Includes Data Privacy Clause in Bankruptcy Bill, March 16, 2001.
California Throws the Book at Spam, March 16, 2001.
Congress Needs to Revise its Approach to Internet Legislation, March 15, 2001.
Hands Off E-Commerce, Democratic Lawmakers Say, March 15, 2001.
Sen. Graham Stresses Need for Net Sales Tax, March 14, 2001. Virginia Gov. Gilmore aggressively promotes high tech for both the private and public sectors, to stimulate the economy and improve delivery of government services.
A related story concerning Virginia technology issues: http://www.washingtontechnology.com/news/1_1/daily_news/16253-1.html
Virginia’s Localities Urged to Go Online, March 14, 2001. “Graham urged fellow senators to support a recently introduced bill, sponsored by North Dakota Democrat Bob Dorgan that would allow states to simplify their tax systems to allow taxes from online sales to be collected easily.
Bill Encourages Telework, March 14, 2001. Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia introduced legislation allowing a $500 tax credit for government and private sector employees who telecommute at least 75 days per year.
Schools: Distance Learning Needs Copyright Relief, March 13, 2001. “Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy, the top Democrat on the panel, have introduced a bill that would exempt educators from fees to use copyrighted materials in so-called ”distance learning” programs, which reach students in remote rural areas or part-time students studying from home.”
Napster Seeks Help from Congress, March 10, 2001. Sen. Orrin Hatch is attempting to broker some sort of deal between Napster and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), but the RIAA seems to have all the right cards in its hand, and Napster has played for all the time there may be.
Stumping for Fair Use, March 9, 2001. Rep. Dick Boucher (D-VA) is a strong proponent of changes to the current copyright law to reinforce the fair use doctrine as it applies to the Web.
Dorgan Introduces Bill to Extend Internet Tax Moratorium, March 9, 2001. “Byron Dorgan, D-ND, has reintroduced legislation to extend the Internet tax moratorium until the end of 2005, while allowing states that simplify their sales and use tax codes to collect from out-of-state vendors.”
Europeans At Work on Copyright Laws to Protect Artists Work, March 9, 2001. While the Napster controversy was brewing here in the US, European pop stars were lobbying the European Union to pass stronger legislation to protect their intellectual property from digital piracy. Last month the EU passed legislation making it illegal to pirate CDs and download protected music from the Internet.
Congress Fears European Privacy Standards, March 8, 2001. The adoption of the Data Protection Directive by 11 of the 15 members of the EU will have far reaching ramifications on the e-commerce enterprises of U.S. companies.
Bush Should Use Clinton Health Privacy Rules – Swire, March 8, 2001. Bill Clinton’s chief privacy officer, Peter Swire, is calling on the Bush Administration to go ahead and implement the medical privacy rules developed under the Clinton Administration. Tommy Thompson, the head of HHS, is soliciting new comments on the regulations and will be making a decision on their viability by the middle of April.
Technology – AOL Immune from Porn Lawsuit, Florida High Court Rules, March 8, 2001. The Supreme Court of Florida ruled that the Communications Decency Act gives AOL immunity from a lawsuit concerning the sale of a lewd videotape over the Internet. The majority of the court said the the federal law preempts Florida law, but a strongly written dissent said the ruling goes against the spirit of the Communications Decency Act entirely.
Virginia Governor Buys Into e-Gov, March 7, 2001. The State of Virginia has introduced eVA, a new state Web based purchasing system. The state hopes that the automation will make state government purchasing more efficient. The site is at http://eva.state.va.us/.
Congress Pitches Broadband Access for All, March 6, 2001. Members of Congress, including Sen. Clinton (D-NY), have been quick to promote broadband access as a way to introduce Internet access to remote rural areas. Several members have introduced legislation on the topic and the Senate Republican High-Tech Task Force has said that broadband access to rural areas would be one of its top priorities.
Report, Internet Voting Only OK at Polling Places, March 6, 2001. A report by the National Science Foundation has found that voting over the Internet raises questions concerning “security, reliability and social effects.” The report urges voting officials to be wary of Internet as the answer to the technical problems which surfaced during the last election.
Sen. Clinton Introduces, Sponsors Slew of Tech-Related Bills, March 2, 2001. The keen bipartisan interest in tech legislation this Congress has been resoundingly embraced by Sen. Clinton of NY.
Web Beacons Add to Web Privacy Controversy, March 2, 2001. The Privacy Caucus, comprised of thirty House and Senate members, focused on the issue of tracking user visits to Web sites and the collection of data on these users. FTC Commissioner Varney emphasized the concept of notice and choice, and supports the use of privacy guidelines posted on web sites to provide users with the ability to ‘opt-out.’
Privacy Laws: Not Gonna Happen, March 2, 2001. Factors including the belief that privacy legislation will hurt the economy, as well as a lack of consensus on the Hill may very well derail plans for some form of legislation this Congress.
Lawmakers Grills Officials About Agency Cyber-Security, March 2, 2001. Rep. Greenwood (R-PA) wrote letters to 15 agency heads admonishing them concerning their duty to protect the “electronic infrastructure” under their jurisdiction.