Edupage, 14 June 1999
EDUCAUSE
Edupage is a service of EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit
association dedicated to transforming education through
information technologies.
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TOP STORIES for June 14, 1999
Computer Virus Creates Global Havoc
Feeling Spammed? Internet Users Deluged by Junk E-Mail
Companies Agree on Single Standard for Online 'Wallet'
Should States Sell High-Speed Net Access?
ALSO
'John Doe' Suits Threaten Internet Users' Anonymity
Internet Fast Becoming a Global Draw
Passing Without Distinction
COMPUTER VIRUS CREATES GLOBAL HAVOC
Antivirus experts have announced that the virus called
"Worm.Explore.Zip" has spread to more than 12 countries and is
expected to continue its rampage. As many as 70 percent of
Network Associates' top 500 customers are expected to have been
hit by the virus and the Computer Emergency Response Team at
Carnegie Mellon University has had to send out its third virus
warning since March. The virus, which was first discovered on
June 6, in Israel, is spread through e-mail and can destroy a
recipient's files, in some cases shutting down the entire
computer. General Electric, Boeing, Compaq, and AT&T reported
minimal damage to their computer systems as a result of the worm
virus. Although the virus is written in a more complicated
language than the Melissa virus, copycat viruses are expected to
appear within the next few weeks. (Wall Street Journal 06/14/99)
FEELING SPAMMED? INTERNET USERS DELUGED BY JUNK E-MAIL
A Gartner Group survey of 13,000 e-mail users shows that more than
90 percent receive junk e-mail at least once a week, a probability
that increases to 96 percent for those Internet users who have
had an e-mail address for at least four years. The survey shows
that one of every three Internet users receives six to 20 spam
e-mail messages per week. Money making schemes, adult ads, and
software offers were the most frequently received bulk e-mail.
Survey respondents said they are loath to deal with spam because
it wastes time, violates privacy, and is often offensive. The
survey shows that ISPs lose 7.2 percent of their new customers
every year due to spam. Forty percent of those surveyed would
like to see a ban on spam, 25 percent say it should be regulated,
and 25 percent say that deleting spam is the only way it can be
controlled. Not everyone detests spam -- 1 percent enjoy receiving
it and 2 percent enjoy it somewhat. (USA Today 06/14/99)
COMPANIES AGREE ON SINGLE STANDARD FOR ONLINE 'WALLET'
Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, AOL, and IBM have agreed on an
electronic-commerce modeling language (ECML) standard for
electronic wallets, which simplify online transactions for
consumers. Credit card companies Visa International and
MasterCard International will support ECML, and several
retailers, including Nordstrom, have also agreed to endorse the
format. For years, technology companies have been trying to gain
widespread support for proprietary electronic wallet software,
which retailers refused to embrace because of the need for
special software or the reprogramming of a site. ECML will
eliminate the need for retailers to require consumers to re-enter
personal information for each purchase. Instead, personal
information will be stored on the consumer's Web browser or on an
Internet server. (Wall Street Journal 06/14/99)
SHOULD STATES SELL HIGH-SPEED NET ACCESS?
Internet service providers in Virginia face a difficult challenge
against the state's plan to offer cut-rate high-speed Internet
access. The Virginia government has been providing universities,
state agencies, and public schools with fast and cheap access
through Net.Work.Virginia, which gets special rates from Bell
Atlantic and Sprint because of its massive customer base. The
state now has floated the idea of including private business and
residential customers in Net.Work, and ISPs are understandably
worried. Ray Everett-Church of the Virginia ISP Alliance says
that in his view the government should not be butting heads with
private companies over a consumer market. Other states, including
Texas and Iowa, as well as several municipalities have considered
similar measures in order to save businesses money and expand Web
use to less wealthy households. (C|Net 06/10/99)
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'JOHN DOE' SUITS THREATEN INTERNET USERS' ANONYMITY
An increasing number of 'John Doe' lawsuits are being filed by
companies that have been the targets of anonymous defamatory
opinions posted on the Internet. These lawsuits force ISPs to
reveal the identities of the online critics. The companies say
that lawsuits are one of their few options in the fight against
defamation, but critics contend that the tactic jeopardizes
online anonymity. A 'John Doe' case in Southern California
features a defendant who has decided to take on his accusers.
Computer modem maker Xircom is attempting to unveil the identity
of a man known only by his online moniker, "A View From Within;"
the man's lawyers are fighting to keep his identity a secret.
Internet companies are also being subpoenaed for electronic
records relating to divorce proceedings and other legal matters.
More than 110 warrants have been served to AOL this year for
investigations of its members. (Los Angeles Times 06/14/99)
INTERNET FAST BECOMING A GLOBAL DRAW
The accessing of non-U.S. Internet domains accounts for
approximately 44 percent of all traffic on the Web, according to
a recent report from WebSideStory's StatMarket. Common wisdom
holds that Internet usage in Asia is set to takeoff, and recent
launches of Japanese and Chinese electronic commerce sites have
been geared to meet that trend. The StatMarket report shows that
23 percent of all non-U.S. traffic can be attributed to Japan,
15.5 percent to Germany, 6.6 percent to the U.K., 5 percent to
Canada, and 4 percent to both Australia and Italy; Sweden,
France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland fill out the top 10.
Although China, with its two million Internet users, was absent
from the list, many Web merchants anticipate that the country
will be accounted for as its consumer market continues to
develop. (E-Commerce Times 06/10/99)
PASSING WITHOUT DISTINCTION
Since its launch last fall, distance learning pioneer Western
Governors University (WGU) has so far failed to live up to its
promise. The school, which brokers virtual classes offered by
colleges and companies, expected to have enrollments of 3,000 by
the end of its first school year, but so far has only about 100
students. Proponents of distance learning say the concept will
catch on eventually, and International Data says it expects
overall enrollments in college-level distance learning courses to
increase threefold, to 2.2 million, by 2002. Meanwhile, WGU has
gotten new leadership in the form of CEO Robert W. Mendenhall,
more funding from chief backer AT&T, a new partnership with the
UK's Open University, and the attention of Vice President Al
Gore, who placed WGU in his Access America for Students program
to offer college-related government services such as student loan
applications online. (CIO Web Business 06/01/99)
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Edie Clark, Editor
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UPCOMING EDUCAUSE CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS:
Seminars on Academic Computing (SAC)
Strategy, Technology, Organization, Relationships, and Mission (STORM!)
August 6-11, 1999, Snowmass Village, Colorado
http://www.educause.edu/sac/sac99/sac99.html
EDUCAUSE '99
"Celebrating New Beginnings"
EDUCAUSE Annual Conference
October 26-29, 1999, Long Beach, California
http://www.educause.edu/conference/e99/
For additional information on these conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/conference/conf.html
For information on other technology related
educational conferences see
http://www.educause.edu/ir/events.html
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News abstracts Copyright 1999, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD
Edupage Copyright 1999, EDUCAUSE
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EDUCAUSE, an international nonprofit association dedicated to
transforming education through information technologies