Rep. Adam Smith is a strong advocate for tech giant Microsoft, one of his principal campaign contributors. Post 9/11 however, there has been a growing movement in Congress to use open source software such as Linux for cybersecurity related agency applications. Rep. Smith is quoted in this article as stating that such software is “problematic and threaten(s) to undermine innovation and security.”
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Daily Archives: October 25, 2002
.org Registry Agreement
ICANN has published the text of their agreement for administration of the .org Top Level Domain by The Internet Society (ISOC). According to internet.com, the ISOC claimed they established a separate entity, the Public Interest Registry (PIR), to “carry out the registry functions.” A FAQ on the PIR is available here. Continue Reading
Top 20 Current Events & Global News Sites
The CyberJournalist.net published the results of the Nielsen/NetRatings September 2002 survey of top news sites. CNN, MSNBC and Yahoo topped the list. Continue Reading
Internet Censorship in China
Senator Jon Kyl (R., Ariz.), Rep. Christopher Cox (R., Calif.), and Rep. Tom Lantos (D., Calif.) authored this commentary on China’s censorship of their citizen’s access to the Internet. Cox and Lantos, co-sponsors of the Global Internet Freedom bill, want to focus attention on how China is blocking access to a wide range of content… Continue Reading
P2P Piracy Prevention Act In Trouble
The highly controversial P2P hacking bill, H.R.5211, introduced by Rep. Howard Berman, will apparently be subject to major revisions according to this ZDNet article. The bill would have allowed copyright holders access to the PCs of individuals suspected of software piracy. For additional background, see Rep. Berman’s press release on the bill from July 25,… Continue Reading
Champion of Data Privacy in the UK
Formerly the UK Information Commissioner, Elizabeth France is now the “UK’s first telecommunications ombudsman.” She will be a forceful advocate on behalf of individual’s whose personal data has been disseminated without their knowledge or permission. Some background on the role of the ombudsman is here. Continue Reading
Google Removes Sites From Germany and France Search Results
This BBC commentary by Bill Thompson reviews the much discussed actions of search engine giant Google who has exluded content from their German and French search results. Content that is no longer available originates in what be called hate sites that are actually banned in these countries. See this excellent report, Localized Google search result… Continue Reading
