INTERNATIONAL
EU Ministers Ban Unsolicited E-Mail (WSJ)
Online Schooling Plan Gains Pace (AA)
INTERNET
Red Cross Moves Discussions Online (CNET)
INDUSTRY
AOL: Just a Cog in Big Media's Wheel (CNET)
INTERNATIONAL
EU MINISTERS BAN UNSOLICITED E-MAIL
Issue: Internet
European telecommunications ministers voted Thursday to ban unsolicited
commercial
e-mail, or spam, and to empower consumers to prevent unauthorized snooping
on their use
of the Internet. The spam ban is part of a draft law on privacy in
electronic
communications that in turn is part of a general overhaul of EU
telecommunications law.
Thursday's decision , which would require a recipient's explicit consent for
the receipt of
any commercial e-mail, marked a breakthrough on spam, which had divided EU
governments and the European Parliament for months. Ministers failed to
reach a political
agreement on the creation of clearer pan-European rules for the regulation
of the bloc's
telecom markets in general, however, and refused requests by the U.S.
government and
European law-enforcement authorities to allow for greater routine retention
of European
citizens' electronic data.
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Brandon Mitchener]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB1007678069999922880.htm)
(requires subscription)
ONLINE SCHOOLING PLAN GAINS PACE
Issue: Digital Divide
South Africa's Gauteng province, home to the cities of Johannesburg and
Pretoria, is
moving forward in its plans to provide Internet and email access to its
2,400 schools. The
R500 million (USD $45.6 million) GautengOnline initiative will connect local
schools to
the Net and create email accounts for the province's 1.5 million students
and educators.
Approximately 25 networked computers will be installed in each school. To
date, several
business consortia made up of companies including Sun Microsystems, Acer and
IBM
have announced their intentions to bid for the contract that will complete
the project by the
year 2004.
[SOURCE: Business Day (Johannesburg), AUTHOR: Lesley Stones]
(http://allafrica.com/stories/200111290565.html)
INTERNET
RED CROSS MOVES DISCUSSIONS ONLINE
Issue: Internet
The American Red Cross is said Thursday that it will use software from
ChatSpace to let
people communicate with Red Cross employees over the Web. The Red Cross
hopes to
set up the technology on its youth services page by March to connect
volunteers with
coordinators and eventually the public. "It's really reaching new audiences,
especially with
youth--as we see our need for bringing more and more youth into the
organization to be
the future of the organization," said Phil Zepeda, director of online media
at the Red
Cross. "Obviously, any online or Internet capacity or Internet tool is going
to help us do
something like this, so ChatSpace is a great option." The announcement comes
as the Web
continues to play an increasingly significant role in relief efforts.
Especially since Sept. 11,
the Web has become a popular medium for donations.
[SOURCE: CNet, AUTHOR: Gwendolyn Mariano]
(http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8091724.html?tag=mn_hd)
INDUSTRY
AOL: JUST A COG IN BIG MEDIA'S WHEEL
Issue: Industry
Earlier this week, CEO of world's largest media company, Gerald Levin,
announced his
retirement and selected Richard Parsons, former Time Warner executive, as
his successor.
The decision to pick Parsons as CEO came as a surprise, given that most
people inside
and outside the company assumed the AOL side would take charge once Levin
retired.
Robert Pittman, the star America Online executive, was seen as the likely
successor. Many
people see the selection of Parsons instead of Pittman as a triumph of old
media over new.
"In its role in a diversified media company, the Internet has a place as
does any other
medium," said Mark Mooradian, an analyst at , commenting on the significance
of the
power transfer.
[SOURCE: CNet, AUTHOR: Jim Hu]
(http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8091724.html?tag=mn_hd)
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