DIGITAL DIVIDE
Latin American Internet Use Is Low, But Growth Is Ahead, Report
Finds (WSJ)
Public Voice Releases Report on Digital Divide (EPIC)
MERGER
FCC Puts Murdoch Purchase On Hold (WP)
INTERNET
Legal Victory for Internet Advertising Industry (NYT)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
LATIN AMERICAN INTERNET USE IS LOW, BUT GROWTH IS AHEAD, REPORT FINDS
Issue: Digital Divide
According to "latino( at )merica on.line," recent study conducted by management
and technology consulting concern Accenture and Spain's Banco Santander
Central Hispano, number of Internet users in Latin American countries is
expected to reach 44 million by 2003, from just under 15 million last year.
The study cited an increase in free Internet access, financed computer sales
and aggressive promotion spending by Internet businesses as factors that are
boosting Internet use in the region. Current low computer and Internet
penetration is attributed to low per-capita income and poor distribution of
wealth in Latin America. According to the study, in 1999 Latin America
accounted for only 2.7% of the estimated $8 billion in world-wide online
advertising
[SOURCE: Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Dow Jones Newswires]
(http://interactive.wsj.com/articles/SB986516216378354083.htm)
(requires subscription)
PUBLIC VOICE RELEASES REPORT ON DIGITAL DIVIDE
Issue: Digital Divide
The Public Voice, a project of EPIC that facilitates public participation in
the development of Internet policy, has submitted a report to the Digital
Opportunities Task Force - a G-8 Digital Divide initiative. "The Public
Voice and the Digital Divide: A Report to the DOT Force" assembles comments
and proposals from the public and urges the G-8 to incorporate more public
participation in future consultations.
[SOURCE: Electronic Policy Network]
(http://www.epic.org/)
MERGER
FCC PUTS MURDOCH PURCHASE ON HOLD
Issue: Television
Federal regulators have told lawyers for Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. that
they have temporarily stopped considering his $5.4 billion deal to acquire
Chris-Craft Industries Inc. Regulators said they were waiting for more
information from News Corp. about the financial condition of its New York
Post. The Chris-Craft deal would put Murdoch in the unprecedented position
of owning two television stations and a newspaper in the same market.
Murdoch's lawyers have claimed that the New York Post may fail if he is
forced to sell it as a condition of his acquisition of Chris-Craft, which
owns 10 television stations -- including WWOR-TV in Secaucus, N.J.,
considered part of the New York market. If Murdoch is allowed to own both TV
stations and the newspaper, it would be the second time that the FCC has
made an exception for him to a rule that bans the ownership of both a
newspaper and TV station in the New York market.
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Christopher Stern]
(http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46957-2001Apr5.html)
INTERNET
LEGAL VICTORY FOR INTERNET ADVERTISING INDUSTRY
Issue: Internet
A federal judge has ruled that DoubleClick, Inc., the world's largest
provider of Internet advertising services, does not violate federal laws by
gathering detailed information about consumers through the use of "cookies"
-- small files containing identification numbers -- and other technology for
the purpose of targeting online ads. United States District Court Judge
Naomi Reice Buchwald dismissal of the consolidated class-action lawsuit
against the company, represents the first time a federal court has addressed
the applicability of federal laws to Internet advertising. Lawyers
representing a potentially huge class of consumers had alleged that
DoubleClick's online advertising practices violated three federal laws: the
Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which seeks to prohibit destructive
hacking; the Wiretap Act, which generally prevents wiretapping for criminal
or other wrongful purposes; and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which
prohibits unauthorized access to computers.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Carl S. Kaplan]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/06/technology/06CYBERLAW.html)
(requires registration)
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