PRIVACY/SECURITY
Terror Bill Has Lasting Effects (WIRED)
Congress Approves Final Version of Anti-Terrorism Act (EPIC)
Antiterrorism Bill Would Require FBI To Report Use Of E-Mail
Snooping Tools (WSJ)
MERGERS/ANTITRUST
Jupiter, An Internet Research Firm, Is Being Bought By Netratings
(NYT)
Global Antitrust Group Forms (WIRED)
INTERNET DEPLOYMENT
Victory gives keynote at the National Summit on Broadband Deployment
(NTIA)
Brazil Looks to Heavens for Net (WIRED)
PUBLISHING
Think-Tank Presses Are Suddenly Best-Selling Publishers (WP)
PRIVACY/SECURITY
TERROR BILL HAS LASTING EFFECTS
Issue: Security
A good amount of the opposition to the anti-terrorism bill that Congress
will send to the President this week, was dropped under the promise of a
"sunset clause" for the bills provisions. The compromise version approved by
the House and Senate sets an expiration date of 2005 for the most
controversial surveillance sections. But what may come as a shock is that
many more parts of the bill are exempt from the sunset clause. After the
President signs the measure on Friday, police will have the permanent
ability to conduct Internet surveillance without a court order in some
circumstances, secretly search homes and offices without notifying the
owner, and share confidential grand jury information with the CIA. Also
exempted from the expiration date are investigations underway by or before
December 2005. Relaxed standards allowing any U.S. attorney or state
attorney general to order the installation of the Carnivore surveillance
system to record addresses of Web pages visited and e-mail correspondents --
without going to a judge (Section 216); Any Internet provider or telephone
company must turn over customer information, including phone numbers called,
without a court order, as long as the FBI claims the "records sought are
relevant to an authorized investigation to protect against international
terrorism." Additionally, the company contacted may not "disclose to any
person" that the FBI is doing an investigation. (Section 505); And a new
crime called "cyberterrorism" defined as hacking attempts causing damage
"aggregating at least $5,000 in value" in one year(Section 814)
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Declan McCullagh]
(http://wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47901,00.html)
ANTITERRORISM BILL WOULD REQUIRE FBI TO REPORT USE OF E-MAIL SNOOPING TOOLS
Issue: Privacy
Civil liberties groups got a victory with a provision in antiterror
legislation that would require a judge to monitor the Federal Bureau of
Investigation's use of a powerful e-mail wiretap system. The clause could
help ensure that the system, once known as Carnivore, doesn't collect more
information than allowed by a warrant. Carnivore critics worry that the
device goes beyond traditional telephone wiretap laws and can gather data
about people who aren't criminal suspects. "The concern about Carnivore has
been its ability to collect too much information," said David Sobel, general
counsel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "So it really is
critical to have some means of overseeing how the technique is actually
used." Robert Corn-Revere, a First Amendment specialist who defended
Internet provider EarthLink Inc. when the company refused to use Carnivore,
called the clause an improvement. "There are virtually no accountability
procedures in the law before this amendment," Mr. Corn-Revere said.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1004025018776674320.htm)
(requires subscription)
CONGRESS APPROVES FINAL VERSION OF ANTI-TERRORISM ACT
Issue: Security
In a 98-1 vote, the Senate has passed the USA-PATRIOT Act of 2001, a
"compromise" version of the various anti-terrorism bills. This final
congressional action followed 24 hours after the House voted 357-66 to
approve the same version of the bill, based on H.R. 3108 and S. 1510. The
final legislation includes a few changes: most notably, a sunset on the
electronic surveillance provisions, and an amendment providing judicial
oversight of law enforcement's use of the FBI's Carnivore system. However,
it retains provisions vastly expanding government investigative authority,
especially with respect to the Internet. The bill will go immediately to the
President's desk.
[SOURCE: Electronic Privacy Information Center]
(http://www.epic.org/)
MERGERS/ANTITRUST
GLOBAL ANTITRUST GROUP FORMS
Issue: Antitrust
Antitrust officials from around the world Thursday formed a group to develop
global enforcement guidelines to ensure fair competition. The group's
formation was in response to calls from dealmakers who say the international
approval process is disjointed and tedious. The newly minted International
Competition Network will have its first meeting next summer in Italy. The
International Competition Network will develop "best practices," but it will
be up to individual governments on whether to implement the group's
suggestions.
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Reuters Wire]
(http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,47892,00.html)
JUPITER, AN INTERNET RESEARCH FIRM, IS BEING BOUGHT BY NETRATINGS
Issue: Merger
Jupiter Media Metrix, the Internet research firm that once was one of the
pillars of Silicon Alley in New York, agreed yesterday to sell itself to the
much smaller NetRatings of Milpitas, Calif., in Silicon Valley for $71.2
million. While Jupiter Media Metrix had four times the revenue of NetRatings
and its rating service was more widely followed both on Madison Avenue and
Wall Street, NetRatings was more fiscally prudent. Jupiter Media Metrix was
formed in June 2000 as the combination of Media Metrix with Jupiter
Communications. NetRatings, originally a spinoff of the electronics company
Hitachi, was another attempt to measure the audience of Web sites. It
combined in September 1999 with a similar effort from A. C. Nielsen, the
company that measures television audiences.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/26/technology/26JUPI.html)
(requires registration)
INTERNET DEPLOYMENT
BRAZIL LOOKS TO HEAVENS FOR NET
Issue: Internet Deployment
For the first time Brazil is using satellites as a means to connect to the
Internet. Universo Online (UOL), the biggest ISP in Latin America, with Star
One and Gilat Satellite Networks is engaged in an effort to expand the
country's Internet access. Only 5 percent of the country uses the Internet
on a regular basis. Internet users in Brazil predominantly use phone lines
and traditional modems. Bigger cities already have some broadband options,
mainly based on cable and ADSL. The biggest problem in Brazil is a lack of
infrastructure. The distant regions of Brazil are still without phone lines.
"As phone companies don't see profitable chances in expanding (their) wires
and cables to distant locations, many (people) become isolated from the
cyberspace with no options at all," said Andr