EDUCAUSE | Policy and Law

DNSSEC Notice of Inquiry

vvogel — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:41:12 -0500

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is inviting comments regarding Domain Name and Addressing System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) implementation at the root zone. Comments are due on November 24, 2008. EDUCAUSE and Internet2 are planning to prepare joint comments so your input is welcome. Below are a few additional resources:

Notice of Inquiry to Examine Security of the Domain Name and Addressing System

Rodney — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:14:34 -0500

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, of the U.S. Department of Commerce, has issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) regarding “Enhancing the Security and Stability of the Internet’s Domain Name and Addressing System”. The NOI begins with the following background:

The Department of Commerce (Department) notes the increase in interest among government, technology experts and industry representatives regarding the deployment of Domain Name and Addressing System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) at the root zone level. The Department remains committed to preserving the security and stability of the DNS and is exploring the implementation of DNSSEC in the DNS hierarchy, including at the authoritative root zone level. Accordingly, the Department is issuing this notice to invite comments regarding DNSSEC implementation at the root zone.

The NOI seeks comments in response to the following general questions:

In terms of addressing cache poisoning and similar attacks on the DNS, are there alternatives to DNSSEC that should be considered prior to or in conjunction with consideration of signing the root?
What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of DNSSEC relative to other possible security measures that may be available?
What factors impede widespread deployment of DNSSEC?
What additional steps are required to facilitate broader DNSSEC deployment and use?
What end user education may be required to ensure that end users possess the ability to utilize and benefit from DNSSEC?

The NOI also contains a set of general and operational questions concerning signing of the root zone. A number of possible models exist to implement the signing of the root zone. Accordingly, six possible process flow models are presented in Appendix A for consideration and comment.

Comments are due on November 24, 2008. Comments will be posted on NTIA’s website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/DNS/DNSSEC.html. EDUCAUSE and Internet2 are planning to prepare joint comments and welcome member input. Please send comments to Rodney Petersen at rpetersen@educause.edu

EDUCAUSE Now - Show #5 - P2P Update & Data-Rich Blogging

gbayne — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:13:19 -0500

EDUCAUSE Now is a monthly podcast, focusing on the intelligent use of information technology in higher education. Each episode features a variety of stories, interviews, and views that relate to IT in higher education. Let us know what you would like to hear at podcast@educause.edu.

Subscribe to EDUCAUSE NOW RSS feed

This episode of EDUCAUSE Now features:

P2P Update: New Business Models, Old Ways of Thinking
(01:22–10:52)
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a nonprofit organization that fights for your rights in the digital realm. We interview EFF's staff attorney, Corynne McSherry, to hear the latest updates in the file-sharing debate and learn some new ways of thinking about the issue.
A Commentary from EDUCAUSE President Diana Oblinger
(10:52–14:16)
Diana contemplates what we mean by “communication” in a tech-savvy world.
Data-Rich Student Blogging: Reflection and Ownership in Learning
(14:53–21:43)
Biology professor Stephen Gallik noticed that more of his students’ time in the lab was spent on clerical tasks and record keeping than on reflection and learning. He collaborated with instructional technologists Jim Groom and Andrew Rush to design a flash application that saves time and publishes full lab results to a student’s own blog. A screencast demonstration of this application is also available.

Music for EDUCAUSE Now:

"Groove IT" by Denis Kitchen
“Electric Guitar 005” by Plastic Soul Band
“Rebirth” by Steven Host
"Butterfly Disease" by Undadogg
"Sunsand" by Sebastian6

Moving beyond the EDUCAUSE Policy Conference

elilly — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:53:25 -0500

The author discusses the evolution of the EDUCAUSE Policy conference and program.

Podcast: IT and Campaign '08

gbayne — Wed, 21 May 2008 17:12:59 -0500

This 58 minute podcast features a panel discussion from the EDUCAUSE 2008 Policy Conference. The participants of this discussion, "IT and Campaign '08," include:

Joanne Carney, Director, Center for Science, Technology & Congress, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Michael R. Nelson, Visiting Professor, Georgetown University
Cameron Wilson, Director, Public Policy Office, Association for Computing Machinery
Session moderator: Richard E. Bissell, Executive Director, Policy and Global Affairs, National Research Council

While Washington concentrates on the IT legislative and regulatory issues at hand, the presidential candidates are being queried about their positions and the Democratic and Republican National Committees are focusing on crafting platforms to be adopted during their summer conventions. Policy experts from some of the leading IT policy associations and think tanks share their insights on how the Democratic and Republican parties and their respective presidential nominees will integrate IT issues into the 2008 presidential campaign.

Podcast: A Blueprint for Big Broadband: Moving from Why to How

gbayne — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:19:27 -0500

This podcast features a speech by John Windhausen Jr., President of Telepoly. The speech, "A Blueprint for Big Broadband: Moving from Why to How," was recorded at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Policy Conference in Arlington, Virginia. You can also read John Windhausen Jr.'s EDUCAUSE white paper, A Blueprint for Big Broadband.

The United States has fallen behind its international competitors in broadband deployment, price, and openness in part because it has no national broadband policy. In contrast, most other countries adopted proactive programs to address the broadband needs of their citizens at the beginning of the decade that are now proving successful. Several U.S. states are now developing their own broadband plans because of the void at the national level. This session proposes an action plan for the nation based on the lessons learned from Europe, Asia, and some U.S. states and discusses what it will take to get such a plan through Congress.

Podcast: Do's and Don'ts of Advocacy: Helping Your Federal Relations Officer Advance the IT Agenda

gbayne — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:05:39 -0500

This hour and sixteen minute podcast features a panel discussion recorded at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Policy Conference. The discussion, "Do's and Don'ts of Advocacy: Helping Your Federal Relations Officer Advance the IT Agenda," includes the following participants:

Anna M. Gould, Project Assistant for EDUCAUSE
Timothy Lance, President and Chairman of NYSERNet, Inc.
Bob Samors, Associate VP of Research & Science Policy at NASULGC
Michael A. Waring, Executive Director of Federal Relations for the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

This session features some real-world training about how lobbying works and the keys to effective advocacy. In addition, lobbying meetings (both good and bad) are role-played to give a feel for the sorts of issues that come up and how best to advance the cause. This session seeks to aid IT professionals in understanding how their federal relations officers work and the best ways CIOs can assist in making that advocacy successful.

Podcast: P2P Policy Update - From Campus to Congress, and Now the State House

gbayne — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:29:33 -0500

This hour and forty-five minute podcast features a panel discussion on the latest P2P news regarding higher education. The discussion, "P2P Policy Update - From Campus to Congress, and Now the State House," features:

Thomas S. Danford, Chief Information Officer for the Tennessee Board of Regents
Terry W. Hartle, Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at the American Council on Education
Charles F. Leonhardt, Principal Technologist at Georgetown University
Kent Wada, Director, IT Strategic Policy at UCLA
Moderator: Steve Worona, Director of Policy and Networking Programs at EDUCAUSE

Peer-to-peer file sharing remains a major headache for campus IT administrators, as the RIAA and MPAA aggressively explore the boundaries of litigation and legislation. This session features two panels of experts to discuss where we stand. The first panel reviews the best current thinking on campus policy and technology options for coping with P2P issues: How to deal with DMCA notices, prelitigation letters, and John Doe lawsuits, and whether blocking and filtering technologies have matured to the point where they can help. The second panel looks at the current status of federal P2P legislation and describes recent entertainment industry initiatives to enact such legislation at the state level.

Podcast: American Higher Education Is Going Global: Implications for CIOs, National Networks, and Federal Policymakers

gbayne — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:02:04 -0500

This 44 minute podcast features a keynote address by Jeffrey S. Lehman, Former President of Cornell University. His speech, "American Higher Education Is Going Global: Implications for CIOs, National Networks, and Federal Policymakers," was recorded at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Policy Conference in Arlington, Virgina.

U.S. universities have come to see their universes in global terms, most visibly in brand-new overseas campuses. But just as important are joint teaching and research projects that dramatically intensify the flow of data to points halfway around the world. Historically, such data flows have required the physical transportation of people or storage media from place to place. Dramatic improvements in networking technology, however, are changing academic leaders' perceptions of the kinds of collaborations that are possible. The most ambitious forms of network cooperation test the capabilities of the global cyberinfrastructure, with bits crossing campus, regional, national, and international networks. Each of the four tiers is a vital link. Each involves a different set of actors, challenging us to develop new policies and governance structures that respond to the concerns of each level, as well as a truly global perspective that is not yet effectively captured. Our national policy community must step into this void, helping demonstrate the range of possibilities and the choices we face, while respecting and reflecting that people in other countries will likely perceive matters differently from us.

Podcast: The FTC as an Educational Partner in Improving Data Security and Privacy

gbayne — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:40:38 -0500

This 38 minute podcast features a keynote address by Mary Beth Richards, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection for the Federal Trade Commission. Her speech, "The FTC as an Educational Partner in Improving Data Security and Privacy," was recorded at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Policy Conference in Arlington, Virgina.

The Federal Trade Commission deals with issues that touch the economic lives of most Americans. The current portfolio includes protecting consumers in the areas of data security and privacy, identity theft, Social Security number misuse, identity management, spam, maintaining the National Do Not Call Registry, and other IT issues of interest to colleges and universities. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, although a regulator of businesses, is also an educator: it seeks to educate consumers and provide businesses and other organizations with the information they need to comply with the rules of the road and to provide consumers with the necessary tools to engage in commerce intelligently. This session highlights information policy issues the FTC is addressing and educational resources institutions of higher education can leverage to improve student, faculty, and staff awareness of data security and privacy risks.