WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Bug Devices Track Officials at Summit
Local Content Key for Digitally Divided
Africa Wants More than IT Promises
INTERNET
Anti-Spam Act Signed but Some Are Skeptical
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
Central Casting
EDTECH
E-Rate Rule Changes Frustrate Applicants
Scotland Exam Tables Replaced with Website
SPECTRUM
Wireless Traffic Alerts Ahead
-------------------------------------------------------------------
WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
BUG DEVICES TRACK OFFICIALS AT SUMMIT
Researchers say that officials who attended the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS) were unknowingly bugged through the use of badges
affixed with radio-frequency identification chips (RFIDs). RFID chips allow
for real-time tracking of a person's movements. The researchers were able to
obtain official badges with fake identification cards. Their report said
that during the registration process, "no public information or privacy
policy was available upon our demands that could indicate the purpose,
processing or retention periods for the data collected. The registration
personnel were obviously not properly informed and trained." The lack of
security procedures is a violation of Swiss federal law. "The big problem is
that system also fails to guarantee the promised high levels of security
while introducing the possibility of constant surveillance of the
representatives of civil society, many of whom are critical of certain
governments and regimes," the report said. Researchers are concerned that
the same database may be used for future events, including the next summit
scheduled for 2005 in Tunisia.
SOURCE: Washington Times; AUTHOR: Audrey Hudson
http://washingtontimes.com/national/20031214-011754-1280r.htm
LOCAL CONTENT KEY FOR DIGITALLY DIVIDED
There exist various barriers to increasing Internet use. Development
activists who attended WSIS say that an important area of focus should be
content. "If a person comes up to the terminal and there is nothing there in
their language that is relevant to their lives, then why should they
bother?" said Peter Armstrong, Director of Oneworld.net, a leading website
for development issues. That is what Oneworld focuses on, allowing people to
input their own local content in their own languages, at no cost, he added.
Oneworld partners with local groups in developing countries and the result
is that many communities can use the Internet for various purposes,
including spreading information about health issues or information for
individuals trying to become self-sufficient. UN Secretary General Kofi Anan
noted at WSIS that 70 percent of all websites are in English, which he says
can crowd local content and views. DireqLearn, a South African organization,
is working to address the content imbalance. DireqLearn customizes
educational tools for hundreds of schools in Namibia, Nigeria and South
Africa. The idea, says DireqLearn's Leonard Tleane, is to give students the
knowledge they want, in a language that they can understand.
SOURCE: BBC; AUTHOR: Clark Boyd
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3314171.stm
AFRICA WANTS MORE THAN I.T. PROMISES
Developing nations at WSIS wanted the wealthier developed nations to put
into practice their talk about bridging the digital divide. Senegalese
President Abdoulaye Wade pushed for the creation of a special fund dedicated
to closing the digital divide, but he was disappointed by the vague promises
given at the three-day meeting. "Africa's objective of digital solidarity
has largely been achieved," said Wade, but it will difficult to move beyond
solidarity and start to act on the digital divide without funding. The idea
of a digital divide fund for developing nations will now have to be
revisited at the second phase of the summit in Tunisia in 2005. "In reality,
negotiators have found a tenuous compromise between two irreconcilable
positions," said the telecommunications expert heading up the African group
during the talks. One of the ambitious goals of the summit will be to
connect half of the world's six billion people to telephones and Internet by
2015. Critics believe this is a pipe dream, especially if declarations do
not materialize into real work. "My plea is the next time this conference
meets in Tunis we should not be spending time drafting the next declaration
but we should be organized from now so that we can celebrate actual
accomplishments," said Arun Shourie, India's Minister for Information
Technology and Communications.
SOURCE: Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
http://www.mg.co.za/Content/l3.asp?ao=28541
INTERNET
ANTI-SPAM ACT SIGNED BUT SOME ARE SKEPTICAL
Yesterday, President Bush signed the first national anti-spam legislation.
Meanwhile, in the 15 minutes it took to have a signing ceremony in the Oval
Office, about 99.8 million pieces of junk email were delivered to email
in-boxes around the world. Whether the legislation will be effective is a
matter of debate. "You can't just declare victory and go home," said Dave
Baker, vice president of public policy for Earthlink Inc. "We think this a
good piece of legislation...It's one more tool, but the fight continues
every day." The bill aims to deter spammers from faking the originating
addresses of spam and combing Web pages for email addresses to add to
mailing lists. The legislation, which will take effect on January 1, will
also require marketers to give recipients a clear opportunity to cease all
future mailings. Senators Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) wrote a
letter to Federal Trade Commission Chairman Timothy J. Muris encouraging the
agency to bring "a few major, high-profile enforcement cases right away."
They added, "The clear message for big-time spammers would be that their
abusive behavior, which so far has had few if any consequences, now carries
serious risks." Critics argue the bill will be ineffective; furthermore, it
will override tougher state laws against spam.
SOURCE: Washington Post; AUTHOR: Jonathan Krim
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6455-2003Dec16.html
MEDIA OWNERSHIP
CENTRAL CASTING
News Central, a broadcast news service of Sinclair Broadcasting, uses a
controversial format called central casting in which portions of the news
are local, but the same feed of national and international news is sent to
10 cities across the country. Sinclair says the efficiency gains allow them
to put news on television stations that otherwise would not be able to
operate news. But critics say the broadcasts mislead local viewers, who
don't know most of their news is coming from Baltimore, Maryland, rather
than from their own communities. Another complaint is that the news is
biased. "You're fed a decidedly right-wing commentary over a variety of
markets, and they seem to have even borrowed this notion of saying at the
top of the broadcast that it's fair and balanced," said Marty Haag,
Broadcast Executive-in-Residence at the Southern Methodist University.
"Well, what about the opportunity of having somebody who represents an
opposing point of view every now and then?" he asked.
SOURCE: PBS Newshour
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec03/newscentral_12-11.html
EDTECH
E-RATE RULE CHANGES FRUSTRATE APPLICANTS
US Schools and libraries have until January 7, 2004 to file their Form 470
applications to be eligible for discounts on telecommunications services,
Internet access, and internal wiring costs through the federal E-Rate
program. But unresolved changes to the program have left many applicants
frustrated and unsure of how to file their 2004 applications. "It's just
devastating. You can't make a decision. You can't file a 470," said Greg
Weisiger, state E-Rate coordinator for the Virginia Department of Education.
The policy changes come from the Federal Communications Commission, which is
expected to resolve the issues. Win Himsworth, president of the consulting
firm E-Rate Central, said he believes the increasing complexity of the
E-Rate is going to "freeze small applicants out of the program." Small
applicants often can't handle the burden of the paperwork, keeping up with
the rule changes, or the cost of hiring a consultant, he added.
SOURCE: Business Week; AUTHOR: Cara Branigan
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4789
SCOTLAND EXAM TABLES REPLACED WITH WEBSITE
A new website has replaced Scotland's league exam table system. This change
is a way of abolishing old performance tables in order to provide parents
with clearer and more relevant information. The site is accessible through
the Scottish Executive's Parent zone page
(http://www.parentzonescotland.gov.uk). The website, launched Monday,
provides a wide variety of information as well as a help-line number for
assistance. It provides statistics on exam performance, but also shows the
proportion of pupils who passed exams. The site also features inspection
reports, free school meals entitlement, leave of absence statistics, and
links to other school websites. Critics argue that the website might not
necessarily make information less confusing for parents, but Judith
Gillespie, development manager for the Scottish Parent Teacher Council,
praised the changes for pulling together several strands of information into
one site. "It is a huge improvement, a massive improvement because it draws
the information together and puts it in context in a much more meaningful
way," she said. SOURCE:BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3319775.stm
SPECTRUM
IRELESS TRAFFIC ALERTS AHEAD
Federal regulators are scheduled today to set aside a portion of spectrum
for a new wireless technology that allows motorists to get traffic updates,
buy fast food or find a nearby hotel. The technology, using antenna-equipped
computers with small display screens, will operate much like wireless
(Wi-Fi) technology. The Federal Communications Commission will earmark
airwaves in the 5.9 gigahertz band for short-range communications. These new
airwaves would be licensed mainly to state transportation, local police, and
fire agencies. Some commercial services may obtain licenses as well. Some of
the uses for this new technology include intersection collision avoidance
and roadwork warnings that automatically slow your car; traffic and frozen
bridge alerts; capability for emergency vehicles to switch traffic signals
to green; and electronic fast food payments. Officials also hope that within
three years, carmakers will include these displays in most models.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Paul Davidson
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-12-16-wireless_x.htm
-------------------------------------------------------------------