Contributed by Organizations or Campuses; Articles, Papers, and Reports; and Internet Content Regulation
Wi-Fi 'illegal images' politician defends legislation
| Title: | Wi-Fi 'illegal images' politician defends legislation (ID: CSD5262) | | Author(s): | Declan McCullagh (CNET News.com) | | Origin: | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses (12/06/2007) | | Type: | Articles, Papers, and Reports | | Abstract: | The Democratic sponsor of a bill forcing anyone with an open Wi-Fi connection to report illegal images--or pay fines of up to $300,000--says a recent Internet outcry over the legislation misses the point. Rep. Nick Lampson of Texas, who drafted the bill that the House of Representatives approved this week, said through a spokesman on Thursday that he didn't actually mean to target Americans who happen to have Wi-Fi access points at home. The legislation also covers social-networking sites, domain name registrars, Internet service providers, and e-mail service providers such as Hotmail and Gmail. | | View this resource: | |
Social Network Sites Face US Ban
| Title: | Social Network Sites Face US Ban (ID: CSD4605) | | Origin: | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses (2006) | | Type: | Articles, Papers, and Reports | | Abstract: | A bill introduced by Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) that aims to restrict social networking Web sites in schools and libraries passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 410-15. The Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) would require organizations that receive funds under the federal E-Rate program to install Internet filters that would block access to sites such as Facebook and MySpace. The FCC would be responsible for defining what sites would be covered by the law.According to the American Library Association (ALA), about two-thirds of U.S. libraries would be subject to the law. Supporters of the legislation said that children who use such Web sites become targets of sexual predators. Opponents of the law said it is overly broad and would prevent computer users from accessing a number of unrelated sites, such as Amazon, blogs, wikis, and even news sites. Leslie Burger, president of the ALA, said, "DOPA is redundant and unnecessary legislation," noting that the Children's Internet Protection Act already requires institutions to block Web content considered harmful to children. The bill now goes to the Senate. | | View this resource: | |
FreeMmusic Used As Spyware lure, FTC Says
| Title: | FreeMmusic Used As Spyware lure, FTC Says (ID: CSD4233) | | Author(s): | Bob Sullivan (MSNBC.Com) | | Origin: | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses (2005) | | Type: | Articles, Papers, and Reports | | Abstract: | The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sued Odysseus Marketing, accusing the company of engaging in distributing spyware. Odysseus distributed an application called Kazanon, which supposedly allowed users to trade files anonymously, without fear of being identified by record companies. According to the FTC, users who downloaded the application also got a range of adware programs that fed advertisements to those users' computers and added items to the search results pages of popular search engines, including Google and Yahoo. The added items, which were indistinguishable from those supplied by the search engine, directed users to companies that paid Odysseus for the placement.Further, the software did not offer users a simple option to uninstall it. Walter Rines, owner of Odysseus, disputed all of the FTC's claims.
He noted that the user agreement informs consumers of what will be installed when they download the Kazanon program. He also said an uninstall tool is available and that his company's software did not remove any search results but merely added to the list. Rines also said the lawsuit was "moot" because his company stopped distributing adware several weeks ago. | | View this resource: | |
Company Settles 'Spyware' Lawsuit for $7.5 Million
| Title: | Company Settles 'Spyware' Lawsuit for $7.5 Million (ID: CSD4055) | | Origin: | Contributed by Organizations or Campuses (2005) | | Type: | Articles, Papers, and Reports | | Abstract: | California-based Intermix Media will pay New York State $7.5 million over three years to settle a spyware lawsuit. In the suit, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer had charged the company with violating state false-advertising and deceptive-practices laws. Intermix acknowledged that it formerly distributed software that was surreptitiously installed on users' computers, though as part of the settlement the company admitted no wrongdoing. Intermix had previously suspended the distribution of the software at issue; with the settlement, the company will permanently discontinue the practice. Intermix has also created a position of chief privacy officer since the lawsuit was originally filed, and officials from the company said they have cooperated with federal regulators. | | View this resource: | |
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