INTERNET
Paying for Web Content Is a Tough Sell (NYT)
Companies Compete to Provide Saudi Internet Veil (NYT)
ANTITRUST
Government Defends Terms of Microsoft Settlement (SJM)
PRIVACY
Groups Urge FCC to Protect Phone Privacy (EPIC)
INTERNET
PAYING FOR WEB CONTENT IS A TOUGH SELL
Issue: Internet
For Internet sites already hurt by falling advertising revenue, there is
evidence a second shoe has dropped: Web surfers are abandoning sites that
ask them to pay for content. A survey released last week by the Pew Internet
and American Life Project found that 50 percent of Internet users found a
free alternative when a site they used asked them to start paying for
content. Another 36 percent said that when a site they used started
charging, they simply dropped that particular activity, like reading a
certain type of news, or listening to sports events or other broadcasts on
the Web. Only 12 percent of Web users said they would pay for content when a
site they used added a fee.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Matt Richtel]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/19/technology/ebusiness/19PEW.html)
(requires registration)
COMPANIES COMPETE TO PROVIDE SAUDI INTERNET VEIL
Issue: Internet
Nearly a dozen software companies, most of them American, are competing for
a contract to help Saudi Arabia block access to Web sites the Saudi
government deems inappropriate for that nation's half- million Internet
users. Pornographic sites make up the overwhelming majority of the sites
blocked in Saudi Arabia, distantly followed by sites that may be sensitive
for political or religious reasons. According to a report by the advocacy
group Reporters Without Borders, Saudi Arabia is one of the countries with
the most centralized control of Internet content, with virtually all public
Internet traffic to and from Saudi Arabia being funneled through a single
control center outside Riyadh. Saudi security agencies identify the
political Web for inclusion on the country's Internet blacklist. Among the
banned sites are the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the
Arabian Peninsula and the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jennifer 8. Lee]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/19/technology/19SAUD.html)
(requires registration)
ANTITRUST
GOVERNMENT DEFENDS TERMS OF MICROSOFT SETTLEMENT
Issue: Antitrust
In settling the historic antitrust case against Microsoft, the Justice
Department revealed Thursday that it had considered more stringent
requirements on the software giant but ultimately rejected them, without
citing the reasons. The Justice Department filed a 68-page statement on the
competitive impact of its settlement with Microsoft, outlining the case and
providing a rationale for its decision. The department, led by antitrust
chief Charles James, contends the settlement will eliminate Microsoft's
monopoly abuse and restore competition in the marketplace, despite
widespread criticism that the terms of the deal are far too lenient. In the
filing, the department said it had considered alternatives to the
settlement, including the idea of continuing the lawsuit, but it concluded
that the courtroom battle would have dragged on for at least two years.
Instead, it said it opted for a remedy with more ``immediacy and
certainty.'' The statement filed Thursday is part of a process that will
include 60 days of public comment and a review of the settlement by U.S.
District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to determine if it is in the public's
best interest.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury, AUTHOR: Kristi Heim]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/news/depth/ms111601.htm)
See Also:
THE CASE AGAINST MICROSOFT WAS AN ANTITRUST BUST, OR WAS IT?
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: James V. Grimald]
(http://www.washtech.com/news/regulation/13747-1.html)
PRIVACY
GROUPS URGE FCC TO PROTECT PHONE PRIVACY
Issue: Privacy
EPIC and other consumer groups have filed reply comments with the Federal
Communications Commission with detailed arguments in support of an opt-in
standard for customer calling data. Telecommunications companies wish to
sell customer calling data, known as Customer Proprietary Network
Information (CPNI), for marketing and profiling purposes. This information
includes subscribers' names, addresses, calling records, and service
options.
[SOURCE: Epic]
(http://www.epic.org)
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