PRIVACY
Report: Governments Erode Internet Freedoms in War on Terror
Dirty Laundry, Online for All to See
DIGITAL DIVIDE
CoSN: They Push Pols' Divide Buttons
Not Many Women at Top of E-Companies
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
Politicians Turn to Alternatives to TV Advertising
PRIVACY
REPORT: GOVERNMENTS ERODE INTERNET FREEDOMS IN WAR ON TERROR
Nearly a year after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, many
governments have tried responding to heightened concerns of terrorists who
can "use the speed, ease of communication and relative anonymity of the
Internet to plan attacks, swap information, transfer funds and publicize
their ideas." The Internet on Probation, a report released today by
Reporters Without Borders, details the concerted attacks on Internet
freedoms around the world over the past year. The report says that many
countries have introduced facilities for general retention of data about
people's email traffic and Internet activity. This has effectively turned
Internet service providers and telecommunications companies into "a
potential arm of the police." "Access to this mass of information is being
given with alarming ease to police and intelligence services," the report
says. "This unprecedented abuse means all citizens are theoretically under
suspicion." The Electronic Privacy Information Center and Privacy
International also said in another report this week that governments
worldwide have made it easier for authorities to eavesdrop on telephone and
online conversations in order to fight terror.
[SOURCE: The Mercury News, Silicon Valley, AUTHOR: Paris (AP)]
(http://www.SiliconValley.com/MLD/SiliconValley/4002613.htm)
See Also:
PRIVACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 2002
[SOURCE: EPIC]
(http://www.privacyinternational.org/survey/phr2002)
DIRTY LAUNDRY, ONLINE FOR ALL TO SEE
Across the nation, the debate about privacy and public documents is
percolating at the local level as state governments consider reining in
county governments that post troves of documents on the Web. While such
public records have long been available at courthouses and other offices,
most documents have been protected from public scrutiny by a legal concept
known as "practical obscurity" -- in other words, the barriers of time and
effort that make it difficult to pull together information. Jim Cissell, the
clerk of courts for Ohio's Hamilton County, changed all that when he made
everything from state tax liens to arrest warrants and bond postings
searchable and accessible on the Internet. "We didn't realize we were
walking into a privacy hornet's nest until after we were under way," said
Cissell, who has received a flood of complaints from people who would prefer
to keep private their dealings with the legal system. And the residents of
Hamilton County are not alone. In 2000, Florida passed a law mandating that
images of official documents be posted on the Internet by 2006. This year
the Florida legislature took a step back, approving a new law that bans
government sites from posting some personal records like military
discharges, death certificates and family-court filings.
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Jennifer 8. Lee]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/05/technology/circuits/05CINC.html)
(requires registration)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
CoSN: THEY PUSH POLS' DIVIDE BUTTONS
Does having technology in the classroom enhance learning? The Consortium for
School Networking (CoSN) certainly thinks so; for the last 10 years it's
helped educators implement technology strategies successfully into their
classrooms. CoSN's work in advocating the creation of the federal E-Rate
program has helped lead to nearly every school in America having Internet
access today. The organization is now working to make sure that the Internet
is used effectively for learning, and encouraging strategies that expands
Internet access to the classroom level. CoSN often finds itself having to
respond to critics who express doubts over the value of having the Internet
in schools. David Salisbury, director of the Cato Institute's Center for
Educational Freedom, argues that investing federal dollars on education
technology would be better spent if it were given directly to parents so
they could choose which schools their children would attend. (The author of
the article points out, however, that Salisbury is not familiar with the
work of CoSN.) Darrell Walery, a technology coordinator from Illinois, feels
that CoSN's work has benefited his school district, especially in terms of
their advocacy work. "So many things that affect us in school are related to
politics -- for example, the E-Rate program," he said. "One of the great
things (CoSN does) is they do keep me informed as far as what's going on
(at) the federal level on these kinds of initiatives."
[SOURCE: Wired News, AUTHOR: Elisa Batista]
(http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,54914,00.html)
NOT MANY WOMEN AT TOP OF E-COMPANIES
Fewer than one in 20 board members of companies featured on Fortune
magazine's e-companies list are women, according to a recent study conducted
by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center. The
study, which covered 757 executives, also finds there are few women in the
executive suites of e-companies. Only 16 percent of the executives in the
largest e-companies are women. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the
center and dean of the Annenberg School of Communications, said that even
the newest media conglomerates and hi-tech companies reflect old attitudes
when it comes to hiring woman for executive positions.
[SOURCE: Australian IT News, AUTHOR: Barbara Gengler]
(http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,5022227%5E15335%5E%5Enbv%5E
15306%2D15317,00.html)
POLITICAL DISCOURSE
POLITICIANS TURN TO ALTERNATIVES TO TV ADVERTISING
For this year's congressional elections, both Democrats and Republicans are
returning to old-fashioned campaign tools like telephone calls and
door-knocking, as the once-overwhelming influence of television advertising
has begun to wane. While candidates still devote most of their resources to
television, they say the power of commercials to affect an election's
outcome is being diluted by the growing number of stations, as well as the
popularity of commercial-free cable networks like HBO. The challenge is one
that Madison Avenue has faced for nearly a decade: the Internet and cable
television have forced commercial advertisers to find new ways to reach
consumers. "The amount of television and the proliferation of television
channels is lessening the importance of television advertising over time,"
said Rep. Dick Gephardt, the Missouri Democrat who serves as House minority
leader. "And there is the saturation factor: People cycle after cycle see
these ads and they are just tuning them out."
[SOURCE: New York Times, AUTHOR: Adam Nagourney]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/05/politics/05ELEC.html)
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