INTERNET
ICANN Eyes New Vote Plan (Wired)
Committee Advises Internet Overseer To Cut Role Played by General
Public (WSJ)
MICROSOFT
States Weigh Rejection of Microsoft Settlement (WP)
Groups Urge Congress to Question Muris on Passport (EPIC)
EDTECH
All Caught Up In High-Tech Homework (USA)
INTERNET
COMMITTEE ADVISES INTERNET OVERSEER TO CUT ROLE PLAYED BY GENERAL PUBLIC
Issue: Internet
The general public's influence on the body that oversees the Internet should
be reduced, with fees levied for the right to help choose its members, a
committee headed by former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt recommended. He
argues that such changes are required to avoid endless debate over the role
and influence of the at-large, or general, Internet community on the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers. The nine-member
At-Large Membership Study Committee, created by the Icann board earlier this
year, recommends reducing at-large representation from one-half to one-third
of the board seats. Critics complained that the reduced role of individuals
would let Icann make key policy decisions that favor private business
interests over the average Internet user's concerns. Some even equated
membership fees and domain-name ownership with poll taxes that some southern
states had adopted a century ago to keep former slaves from voting.
Supporters of the at-large reduction believe it is important to have board
members who are knowledgeable about the technical issues surrounding the
Internet. The recommendations now go to the Icann board. Although the board
meets next week in Marina del Rey, Calif., it probably won't make any
decisions until its March meeting in Ghana, said the board's chairman, Vint
Cerf.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB100499893145190560.htm)
(requires subscription)
ICANN EYES NEW VOTE PLAN
Issue: Internet
In response to criticism of its methods for selecting directors, the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)has announced it
will consider a new plan for publicly electing board members. Specifically,
ICANN wants to adopt a proposal that would allow owners of Internet domains
to elect the directors. In the past ICANN has let any over age 16 with a
valid e-mail address register to vote for board members. That policy was
criticized based on potential for fraud from multiple email addresses from a
single voter. "We did not find a completely foolproof way of conducting this
election," said Denise Michel, executive director of the ICANN At-Large
Committee, which drew up the voting plan. "What the committee suggested was
a reasonable, practical solution." To allow the members of the public who
don't own their own Web sites to have some influence, ICANN will create a
committee responsible for collecting input.
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Joanna Glasner]
(http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,48150,00.html)
MICROSOFT
STATES WEIGH REJECTION OF MICROSOFT SETTLEMENT
Issue: Antitrust
With a looming Tuesday deadline, sever state attorneys general were prepared
to reject the U.S. DOJ/Microsoft-brokered antitrust settlement package last
night unless Microsoft agreed to "major changes". One state, New York, had a
separate tentative deal with Microsoft but postponed announcing it
yesterday. Calling the Justice Department settlement a "license for
Microsoft to use its dominance and power to crush its competition,"
Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly said yesterday that he would not
sign it without major changes. California also will tell a federal judge
this morning that without modifications it cannot support the settlement and
will pursue the case without the Justice Department, sources said. In all,
two-thirds of the states were prepared to reject the settlement. Among the
changes proposed: lengthening the agreement's tenure from five year to ten
years; providing more expansive definition of what constitutes "middleware",
the third-party applications that compete with or complement Microsoft's own
branded applications; and tightening anti-retaliation restrictions.
[SOURCE: Washington Post (E01), AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44814-2001Nov5.html)
GROUPS URGE CONGRESS TO QUESTION MURIS ON PASSPORT
Issue: Privacy
EPIC and Junkbusters have sent a letter to members of the House Subcommittee
on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection urging them to question FTC
Chairman Timothy Muris on the agency's efforts to protect consumers from
Microsoft Passport. The FTC has not taken public action to protect consumers
from Microsoft Passport despite receiving three filings from a coalition of
fifteen consumer groups detailing the privacy implications of the system.
Muris is scheduled to appear before the Committee on Wednesday to address
issues challenging the FTC
[SOURCE: Electronic Privacy Information Center]
(http://www.epic.org/)
EDTECH
ALL CAUGHT UP IN HIGH-TECH HOMEWORK
Issue: Edtech
In classrooms these days, the old-fashioned papier-m