[Sigifp-l] Information Policy Digest 11/16/03

[Terrence Maxwell]

Eldred v Ashcroft.
<http://lawschool.stanford.edu/~erika/eldred.shtml>
On 15 January the US Supreme Court made its decision regarding the 
constitutionality of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998.

SECURITY

George Orwell, Here We Come.
<http://news.com.com/2010-1069-979276.html>
The biggest problem with criticism of Adm. John Poindexter's massive spy 
proposal is not in the argument over the system being so darn creepy; the 
biggest problem with the criticism of the Total Information Awareness system 
is that it's too short-sighted.

Big Brother and Another Overblown Privacy Scare.
<http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/nj/taylor2002-12-10.htm>
Editorial writers and other guardians of privacy have had a field day with 
the reports that former Reagan National Security Adviser John M. Poindexter 
has come back as a cross between Dr. Strangelove and Big Brother.

Identity Card for Brits?
<http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/dob/ecu.htm>
The Home Office is currently running a consultation exercise on the 
introduction of an identity infrastructure for Britain. This would consist 
of a biometric database with basic records of the entire population.

Serial Killer Probe Goes Door to Door.
<http://vh80299.vh8.infi.net/html/16060697-A298-4966-A886-C0EA415DED9D.shtml>
Based on tips from the public about possible suspects, the DNA of 50 to 100 
people in Lafayette, Louisiana will be tested in an effort to catch a serial 
killer.

FREE SPEECH & CENSORSHIP

Sanitization of NY Regents Exams.
<http://www.freeexpression.org/newswire/0109_2003.htm>
The National Coalition Against Censorship and 18 other groups call for 
accountability in New York's educational policy-making system citing 
repeated "Sanitization" of literature in mandatory English Language Arts 
Regents Exams.

PRIVACY

Undercover Sobriety Tests.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24635-2003Jan7.html>
Civil libertarians, restaurateurs and others have decried the Virginia 
Department of Alcohol Beverage Control tactic whereby undercover agents went 
to 20 bars in Reston and Herndon looking for examples of bartenders over 
serving customers.

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION POLICY

CDT Policy Post.
Volume 9, Number 1, January 9, 2003
<http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_9.01.shtml>
Contents:
(1) Vital Digital Issues Likely to be on Congress' Agenda
(2) 2001-02 Saw Momentous Legislation Affecting Digital Privacy, E-Gov

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Lexmark Invokes DMCA in Toner Suit.
<http://news.com.com/2100-1023-979791.html>
Printer maker Lexmark has found an unusual weapon to thwart rivals from 
selling replacement toner cartridges: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Xbox Hackers to Continue.
<http://www.vnunet.com/News/1137916>
The Neo Project is to continue with it's attempt to break the encryption 
algorithm used in Microsoft's Xbox game console.

Judge: Kazaa Can be Sued in U.S.
<http://news.com.com/2100-1023-980274.html>
A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that record companies and movie 
studios can proceed with a lawsuit against the parent company of Kazaa--the 
most popular online file-swapping service--in the United States.

INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION POLICY

'DVD Jon' Scores Huge Legal Victory.
<http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article.jhtml?articleID=466519>
A Norwegian teenager who helped crack a code meant to protect the content of 
DVDs won full backing from an Oslo court on Tuesday. The court acquitted him 
on all charges, a ruling that comes as a crushing blow to public prosecutors 
and entertainment giants.

MoD 'spams' Firms Ahead of Iraq Call-up.
<http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/28799.html>
Even the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is getting in on the blanket email 
act with a recent distribution of 100,000 emails after enlisting the help of 
a company specialising in aggregating email lists.

Compiled by Dylan Thomarie
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