ACM TechNews - Friday, April 28, 2000

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ACM TechNews
Volume 2, Number 49
Date: April 28, 2000
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

Top Stories for Friday, April 28, 2000:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"Microsoft Denial as EU Looks Into Claims Over Windows 2000"
"States Said to Back Proposal From U.S. to Divide Microsoft"
"EU Move on Phone Monopolies Would Cut Cost of Internet Use"
"AboveNet Attack Could Be a Test"
"Retailers to Ramp Up IT Spending"
"Europe Expected to Make Big Contributions to Internet Economy"
"Syria Advances Cautiously Into the Online Age"
"G-8 Cybercrime Conference in Paris Next Month"
"GAO Report Criticizes Federal Technology Research Program"
"EU to Relax Rules on Data-Encryption Exports"
"Study: Net Intellectual Property Suits on the Rise"
"Online Sales Could Grow 500 Percent This Year in China"
"Korean Firms Hit by Chernobyl Computer Virus"
"Tech Lobbyists Eye China's Potential"
"Web Infrastructure is Key Asset of Vulnerable Dotcoms"
"Employee Study Cites Rampant Internet Abuse"
"EPIC Survey Finds Encryption Regulations Are Ending"

******************* News Stories ***********************

"Microsoft Denial as EU Looks Into Claims Over Windows 2000"
Microsoft yesterday began a campaign in Brussels to show that its
Windows 2000 server software is fully compatible with rival
operating systems, as the European Commission investigates
complaints that Windows 2000 only functions properly with . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item1

"States Said to Back Proposal From U.S. to Divide Microsoft"
The federal and state governments in the antitrust suit against
Microsoft agreed to file a joint proposal that would include
breaking the company into two separate entities.  Remarks from
the leaders of Microsoft, especially those of Chairman Bill Gates . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item2

"EU Move on Phone Monopolies Would Cut Cost of Internet Use"
The European Commission (EC) yesterday called upon telecom
companies to open their networks to competitors, a calculated
move that would break domestic companies' monopolistic hold over
phone lines and spark the widespread introduction of flat-rate . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item3

"AboveNet Attack Could Be a Test"
AboveNet Communications is working with the FBI to find the
source of an attack that disrupted its network for almost six
hours on April 25.  The attack, classified as a
denial-of-service, was probably done by an individual who had . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item4

"Retailers to Ramp Up IT Spending"
IT spending is expected to be a top priority for online and
traditional retailers alike this year, according to two separate
studies.  The first study, published by Computer Sciences and
Retail Info Systems News, predicts that overall IT operating . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item5

"Europe Expected to Make Big Contributions to Internet Economy"
The global Internet economy will reach $6.9 trillion by 2004 and
Europe will account for $1.5 trillion in online sales, according
to Forrester Research.  Europe appears to be on pace to become a
leader in the new economy if the continent is able to sustain its . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item6

"Syria Advances Cautiously Into the Online Age"
In a surprising development, the Syrian government is throwing
its traditional caution to the wind and embracing the Internet as
an economic spark plug, a modernization move that is largely
being pushed by President Hafez Assad's eldest son, Bashar Assad.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item7

"G-8 Cybercrime Conference in Paris Next Month"
Paris will host a meeting of the Group of Eight (G-8)
industrialized countries May 15-17.  Representatives of Germany,
Great Britain, France, Italy, the United States, Russia, Japan,
and Canada will meet with members of 150 top corporations to . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item8

"GAO Report Criticizes Federal Technology Research Program"
The General Accounting Office (GAO) on Tuesday issued a report
criticizing a government program aimed at advancing high-risk
technologies for replicating privately-funded research.  The
Advanced Technology Program (ATP), run by the National Institute . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item9

"EU to Relax Rules on Data-Encryption Exports"
The European Union recently voted to liberalize its rules on
exporting data-encryption products, allowing for the free trade
of such products within the 15 EU countries as well as 10 other
countries, including the United States.  Analysts say that the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item10

"Study: Net Intellectual Property Suits on the Rise"
Intellectual property lawsuits involving the Internet will rise
over the next several years, according to attorneys recently
polled by PricewaterhouseCoopers.  Eighty percent of respondents
say lawsuits that involve intellectual property violations are on . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item11

"Online Sales Could Grow 500 Percent This Year in China"
China's online sales could rise 500 percent this year to $42
million, up from $6.6 million last year, according to a survey
released Thursday by the Center for Computer Industry Development
and CCIDNet Consulting.  Although China's potential $42 million . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item12

"Korean Firms Hit by Chernobyl Computer Virus"
South Korean officials say that the "Chernobyl Virus" recently
hit the country, erasing data on hard disks at hundreds of
companies.  The virus got its name because it was released last
year on the 14th anniversary of the nuclear accident.  Officials . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item13

"Tech Lobbyists Eye China's Potential"
High-tech lobbyists are pushing Congress to grant Permanent
Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status to China so the U.S. will be
able to capitalize on the nation's huge market, but labor unions
and human-right activists oppose the move.  Over the next several . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item14

"Web Infrastructure is Key Asset of Vulnerable Dotcoms"
As old-economy giants increase the pace of their e-business
transformations, many are discovering that one way to build a
strong e-business architecture quickly and relatively cheaply is
to simply buy a struggling new-economy dot-com that has already . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item15

"Employee Study Cites Rampant Internet Abuse"
Employee Internet and email use is rising on the job, despite a
large increase in formal email and Internet policies prohibiting
such usage, according to a recent survey commissioned by Elron
Software, a purveyor of Internet and email filtering software.  . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item16

"EPIC Survey Finds Encryption Regulations Are Ending"
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) recently
released a report called Cryptography and Liberty 2000: An
International Survey of Encryption Policy.  The report says most
governments are liberalizing rules regarding strong encryption . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0428f.html#item17


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