ACM TechNews - Monday, August 21, 2000

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ACM TechNews
Volume 2, Number 96
Date: August 21, 2000
Site Sponsored by Gateway (http://www.gateway.com)

Top Stories for Monday, August 21, 2000:
http://www.acm.org/technews/current/homepage.html

"Tech's Tyranny Provokes Revolt"
"Some in U.S. Congress Say U.S. Government Could Use an
 Information-Privacy Czar"
"Many Online Taking Privacy Into Their Own Hands"
"India Seeks More U.S. Visas, Less Control for Tech"
"Study: Net No Influence on U.S. Politics"
"Future Work"
"The World Wide Web"
"The Hard-Drive Space Race Speeds Up"
"Cybersquatting Rules Delayed--WIPO"
"U.S. E-tailers Still Leery of Global Markets"
"Unions Take Aim at High-Tech Workers"
"How Green Is His Valley"
"When Does Copying Become Illegal Use?"
"Semiconductors: Fewer Thrills and Chills?"
"Industry Initiates Web Site Privacy Policy Adoption"
"Introducing the Computer of 2010"
"Well-Wired Summer Campers"
"Gender Gap?"

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

"Tech's Tyranny Provokes Revolt"
Consumers are experiencing a "digital backlash," according to
recent surveys.  Although Cyber Dialogue reports the active
population of Internet users in America now numbers 77 million
and is increasing 10 percent each year, that growth rate has . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item1

"Some in U.S. Congress Say U.S. Government Could Use an
 Information-Privacy Czar"
Taking a cue from the growing trend toward the hiring of privacy
officers in the private sector, some congressmen are calling for
the federal government to instate a privacy czar who would
oversee the government's information-protection efforts.  "A . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item2

"Many Online Taking Privacy Into Their Own Hands"
Consumers on the Internet are actively fighting online companies'
attempts to collect their personal data, concludes a new Pew
Research Foundation study of more than 2,100 Americans, including
more than 1,000 Internet users.  Online privacy invasions by . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item3

"India Seeks More U.S. Visas, Less Control for Tech"
An Indian software industry group on Monday announced that it is
urging the prime minister to request an increase in H-1B visas as
well as other changes in current visa laws during his visit to
the U.S. next month.  The National Association of . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item4

"Study: Net No Influence on U.S. Politics"
Early findings from the UCLA Internet Report indicate that the
Internet has a long way to go before reaching its potential as a
political resource.  Released in time for the political
convention season, the findings from the new study sponsored by . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item5

"Future Work"
Industry observers believe job opportunities for software and
network engineers will continue to grow in coming years, but
caution students and young professionals not to concentrate too
much on a sole skill or a single career path.  The increased . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item6

"The World Wide Web"
This past May saw the day that women represented 51 percent of
the 83 million active U.S. Internet users, closing the gender gap
online, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.  Their presence has
created sites that cater to female issues and needs, and is also . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item7

"The Hard-Drive Space Race Speeds Up"
Maxtor this week is releasing its new DiamondMax 80, an 80 GB
hard drive that is the latest entry in the sweepstakes of hard
drives with increasingly large memory.  Even entry-level
computers now come with drives as large as 20 GB, and IBM . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item8

"Cybersquatting Rules Delayed--WIPO"
The WIPO postponed the deadline for comments on the Second WIPO
Internet Domain Process, which will probably reiterate some of
the rules that ICANN shaved from the First WIPO Internet Domain
Process as well as deal with proper names issues that deal with . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item9

"U.S. E-tailers Still Leery of Global Markets"
The challenges of global e-commerce still discourage many U.S.
businesses from entering this growing arena.  Some 60 percent of
the world's Internet users in 1999 were non-U.S. residents and
that number is expected to rise to 67 percent within the next . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item10

"Unions Take Aim at High-Tech Workers"
Labor unions are trying to move into the high-tech sector to
increase their power in the digital economy.  The strike against
Verizon Communications by its union members is the latest example
of organized labor affecting the high-tech industry.  Workers at . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item11

"How Green Is His Valley"
Former Indiana Attorney General Jeff Modisett last January left
his position with a year left in his term to join Technology
Network (TechNet), a bipartisan lobbying group for the high-tech
industry.  The unexpected move came after Modisett realized the . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item12

"When Does Copying Become Illegal Use?"
Observers of the information technology industry say the legal
dispute between Napster and the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) will not only have an impact on the sharing of
music, but also on Internet technologies involving text, video, . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item13

"Semiconductors: Fewer Thrills and Chills?"
The semiconductor industry could peak as soon as six months from
now, say two Salomon Smith Barney chip analysts.  The original
prediction was for chip capacity to outpace demand by 2002, but
creeping inventory levels, scattered price declines, and shorter . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item14

"Industry Initiates Web Site Privacy Policy Adoption"
Several companies are creating products that support the World
Wide Web Consortium's Platform for Privacy Preferences Project
(P3P), which allows Web browsers to automatically compare a Web
site's privacy policy with a user's privacy preferences.  The . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item15

"Introducing the Computer of 2010"
Forbes ASAP, with help from award-winning company Frogdesign, has
virtually designed a computer for the next decade that employs
optoelectronics to improve reliability and speed in an
inexpensive, compact unit.  Electronic components will be used in . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item16

"Well-Wired Summer Campers"
Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., last month held its "Get
Wired, Get Hired" summer camp to teach teenage girls about
business and technology.  Bentley started the program, which
school officials believe is the first of its kind in the U.S., . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item17

"Gender Gap?"
E-tailers are not only focusing more on women these days because
women shop more than men, but they are also looking to women for
clues on creating a better online shopping experience.  So far,
the Internet has been a big hit with men, but the bleak . . .
http://www.acm.org/technews/articles/2000-2/0821m.html#item18


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