Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Amnesty International seeks to end Net repression: Amnesty International marked its 45th anniversary on Sunday by launching a global campaign to stamp out state censorship of the Internet. (Reuters) The Internet is a huge, powerful tool. We see governments censoring access to the Internet or locking people up for having conversations about democracy and freedom, said Kate Allen, UK director of Amnesty International. Launching a new Irrepressible.info Web site to challenge Internet censorship, Allen said I call on governments to stop the unwarranted restriction of freedom of expression and on companies to stop helping them do it. http://irrepressible.info/ 12:36:30 PM    comment []

Varsity admins vs. college hackers: High school students prevent online hackers in defense competition. By Nathan Paulson, Iowa State Daily. 12:36:26 PM    comment []

EU court blocks data deal with US: The US said the deal was essential after the 9/11 attacks The European Court of Justice has blocked an EU-US agreement that requires airlines to transfer passenger data to the US authorities. (BBC) The US said the data would help fight terrorism, but the European Parliament said the data could be misused. The agreement demands that within 15 minutes of take-off for the United States, a European airline must send the US authorities 34 items of personal information about the passengers on board. . . . In its ruling on Tuesday, the court found that the EU Council of Ministers' decision to sign the agreement on "Passenger Name Records" lacked an adequate legal basis. The Council and the European Commission based their actions on the EU Data Protection Directive, but the court said the directive did not apply to data collected for security purposes. It gave the EU until 30 September 2006 to find a new legal solution. 11:36:17 AM    comment []

DOD: China fielding cyberattack units, by Josh Rogin China is stepping up its information warfare and computer network attack capabilities, according to a Defense Department report released this week. The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is developing information warfare reserve and militia units and has begun incorporating them into broader exercises and training. Also, China is developing the ability to launch pre-emptive attacks against enemy computer networks in a crisis, according to the document, "Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2006." 10:36:08 AM    comment []

WestJet apologizes to Air Canada for web snooping, CTV.ca staff. In a joint news release from the two carriers, WestJet said that in 2003-2004, members of their management team "engaged in an extensive practice of covertly accessing a password protected proprietary employee website maintained by Air Canada to download detailed and commercially sensitive information without authorization or consent from Air Canada." "This practice was undertaken with the knowledge and direction of the highest management levels of WestJet and was not halted until discovered by Air Canada," said the news release. . . . Air Canada claimed WestJet used the still active password of a former employee who had access to the site, and that the information was used by WestJet to plan the airline's flight schedule and expansion. 8:35:54 AM    comment []

Facilities Can Play Key Role in Students' Enrollment Decisions, Study Finds, by Audrey Williams June, CHE (subscription required). The new study done by APPA, as the facilities group is commonly known, reinforces the notion that the facilities students see -- or do not see -- on a campus can mean the difference between whether they enroll or not. On students' must-see list during college visits were facilities in their major, said 56.8 percent of respondents. Rounding out the top five were residence halls at 53.1 percent, the library at 48.4 percent, classrooms at 46 percent, and technology facilities at 40 percent. Nearly three out of 10 students spurned a college because it lacked a facility they thought was important. Chief among those facilities were buildings to support the student's major and open space. Inadequate or poorly maintained facilities, particularly dormitories, were factors almost as important as the absence of a facility. Twenty-six percent of respondents rejected an institution because an important facility was inadequate, and 16.6 percent nixed a college because an important facility was poorly maintained. The study also revealed how demographic differences, such as race and gender, play a role in how students view campus facilities. For instance, female respondents wanted to see on-campus residential facilities, facilities related to their majors, the library, classrooms, the student union, and open space during a campus visit. However, male students were most interested in seeing an institution's computer and technology capabilities, research and lab facilities, and varsity athletics facilities, Mr. Reynolds says. The report is available online. 8:35:49 AM    comment []