Clips October 8, 2002

[Lillie Coney <lillie.coney@xxxxxxx>]

Clips October 8, 2002

ARTICLES

Privacy groups target Amazon again
Government to push e-voting [UK]
Environmentalists Identify New Menace: Discarded Cellphones
NIST-NSA team readies systems security guidance
Election reform deal would send billions to states
IRS wins approval for free online tax filing system
House votes to require agencies to assess privacy impact of rules
Stopped at the State Line
UK broadband use trebles since new year
How and Why the Internet Broke
Now, viruses can bring you cash

****************************
News.com
Privacy groups target Amazon again
By Troy Wolverton
October 8, 2002, 1:00 AM PT

Arguing that Amazon.com is not doing enough to protect customer privacy, 
two privacy groups are urging state and federal regulators to force the 
e-tail giant to live up to past privacy promises and allow customers to 
view and delete their personal records.

In a letter the groups plan to send Tuesday to consumer protection 
regulators in 14 states, the District of Columbia and at the Federal Trade 
Commission, Junkbusters and the Electronic Privacy Information Center 
(EPIC) praise state regulators for discussing privacy issues with Amazon 
and with getting Amazon last month to commit to clarifying its privacy 
policy. But that revision, completed last week, did not resolve the primary 
"inadequacies" of the policy, the privacy groups say.

Amazon still holds the option of selling its customer database, refuses to 
give customers access to all the data it holds on them and refuses to 
delete their past purchase records, the privacy groups charge. Amazon 
should be made to reverse all these stands--and submit to an independent 
audit of its compliance with its privacy policies, the groups say.

"This is necessary because the company's actions have shown that it should 
not be trusted," the groups say in the letter, a copy of which was seen by 
CNET News.com.

Junkbusters and EPIC are focusing on Amazon because of its pre-eminence as 
an online bookseller, said Junkbusters President Jason Catlett. Customers' 
reading habits should be kept private, and Amazon is not doing its part to 
ensure that they are, Catlett said.

"It's a very fundamental freedom to read without fear of having what you 
look at held against you," Catlett said. "It's simply not right that 
people's reading habits are kept forever against their will, particularly 
when Amazon has decided that it might sell them in the future."

Amazon representatives did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Amazon drew criticism from consumer and privacy groups the last time it 
updated its privacy policy, in September 2000. Under that policy, Amazon 
warned customers that it might transfer its personal data "in the unlikely 
event" that the company or its assets were acquired. Previously, the 
company said it would not "sell, trade or rent your personal information to 
others" and did not make an exception for the case of a transfer of 
business control.

EPIC and Junkbusters led the criticism of the change, charging in a 
complaint sent to the Federal Trade Commission that the change represented 
an unfair business practice. The FTC later decided not to take action 
against Amazon.

After the FTC dropped the matter, a group of state regulators began 
investigating Amazon's privacy practices and discussing them with the 
company. The upshot of those discussions was an agreement by Amazon last 
month to clarify some of its privacy statements. Among the changes Amazon 
made was to add details on the circumstances under which it might disclose 
customers' personal information and to list some of the companies with 
which it shares information.

One of the changes Amazon made was to the section on what it will do with 
customer records in the case of a business transfer. The company added that 
although such records are considered assets that are generally included in 
a business transfer, the records remain "subject to the promises made in 
any pre-existing Privacy Notice."

In their letter, the privacy groups take issue with that line, calling it 
hypocritical.

"Amazon promised customers never to sell their information; now it is 
saying that it may do so, recently adding the 'clarification' that the 
buyer will be subjected to the same promises that it originally made, and 
then abrogated," the groups say in their letter. "This is plainly 
hypocrisy. We also believe that it constitutes and unfair and deceptive 
trade practice under federal and state law."

Amazon has said that its latest revisions did not "material change" its 
privacy statement. The company has said in the past that it takes 
customers' privacy seriously.

"Amazon.com knows that you care how information about you is used and 
shared, and we appreciate your trust that we will do so carefully and 
sensibly," the company says in its privacy policy.

Long a concern for consumer advocates, online privacy took center stage in 
June 2000 when failed toy e-tail Toysmart attempted to sell its customer 
records as part of a bankruptcy proceeding despite previously promising 
never to sell that data. After the Toysmart controversy, a number of 
e-tailers, including Amazon, modified their privacy statements to allow 
them to transfer or sell their customer records in case of bankruptcy or a 
sale of their business.
*********************************
ZDNet
Government to push e-voting
15:36 Monday 7th October 2002
Graeme Wearden

Next year your local council could ask you to vote online, by mobile phone, 
digital TV or at a touch-screen kiosk
The UK government is calling on councils to conduct electronic voting 
trials in the next local elections, which will take place in May 2003.

Schemes that allow voting via the Internet, by mobile phone, digital TV, at 
a touch-screen kiosk or by post will all be welcomed, local government 
minister Nick Raynsford has indicated.

"This invitation follows on from the success of last May's pilots, when 
people in many parts of the country had their first real experience of 
voting electronically and by post," said Raynsford in a statement. "Such 
was the scale of the programme that the UK is quite rightly regarded as 
being among the pioneers of electoral modernisation."

The UK government has committed £30m to fund e-voting trials over the next 
three years, with the intention of holding an e-enabled general election 
sometime after 2006.

A total of 30 councils held e-voting trials in this year's local elections, 
including St Albans, which let constituents vote online, by phone, by post 
or by using an electronic terminal at a polling station.

As ZDNet UK reported, although the St Albans trial was a technological 
success, there is little evidence that it increased the number of people 
voting -- a key issue in political circles following the disappointing 
turnout in the last general election.

The Electoral Commission has conducted an inquiry into all this year's 
e-voting trials. It found that much more work had to be done before 
e-voting could be used at a general election and recommended that more 
trials were carried out.

Vange Yianni, technology manager at software vendor and professional 
sevrices consultancy Compuware UK, has warned that the public could lose 
confidence in e-voting if one of the systems used in the trials suffered a 
high-profile failure.

"Councils looking at e-voting trials must ensure that they fully understand 
the size, scope and technical complexities of the projects they are 
undertaking. They must be able to guarantee the security of the e-voting 
systems and also consider scalability issues, as millions of people could 
potentially vote online," Yianni told ZDNet UK News.

"The integration of communication mediums such as SMS, the Internet, and 
interactive TV will undoubtedly present challenges, however testing systems 
rigorously throughout their development will help to address these 
challenges," Yianni added.
**************************
New York Times
Environmentalists Identify New Menace: Discarded Cellphones
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

As the nation's fondness for cellphones grows, the environmental effects 
do, too.

According to industry figures, cellphone use in the United States has 
surged, to more than 128 million subscribers last year from 340,000 in 
1985. Typically, each phone is used for 18 months before being dropped for 
a newer model.

That is starting to add up to a huge amount of waste, says Inform, an 
environmental organization that issued a report this year on old phones. 
The Environmental Protection Agency helped finance the study.

By 2005, the report estimates, 130 million cellphones will be thrown out 
each year. Counting the phones, batteries and chargers, that comes to 
65,000 tons a year, the report said. Although some phones may just stay 
unused in desk drawers, the report said, most will end up in landfills or 
being incinerated.

"This is becoming a very serious problem, because the amount of cellphone 
waste is growing tremendously," said Eric Most, director of the solid waste 
prevention program at Inform. "These chemicals accumulate and persist in 
the environment. They get in the plants, soil, water, and then move up the 
stream to humans."

The threat of cellphone waste is not restricted to the United States. More 
than a billion cellphones are used worldwide, and Japan and several 
European countries have started pressuring manufacturers to eliminate toxic 
chemicals.

Researchers at Inform say companies can act to eliminate waste by creating 
take-back programs that offer discounts on new phones or phone service in 
exchange for returned equipment.

"If producers have to take back their cellphones, they have an incentive to 
make products that generate less waste and are easier to recycle," said 
Bette K. Fishbein, an economist who was lead author of the study. 
"Australia has a nationwide take-back program, and Europe is about to 
mandate that companies take back their electronics. The same should be done 
in the U.S."

Some companies, including Verizon and Sprint, do have take-back programs, 
but the main industry group, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet 
Association, opposes mandatory programs. Rather than requiring 
manufacturers to dispose of old phones, the industry prefers programs in 
which old phones are turned over to charities or resold in less developed 
countries, said Travis Larson, a spokesman for the group.

Some states have taken small steps to promote reusing cellphones. A 
government-financed program in Maryland collects used cellphones that are 
recycled or reprogrammed and given to the elderly so they can call 911 in 
an emergency.

"Recovery of cellphones is occurring on a much larger scale in other 
countries, often with the cooperation of manufacturers and retailers," the 
Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement in August. "E.P.A. is 
interested in working to encourage similar developments in the United States."

The agency is working with Inform on a follow-up study to examine the 
effectiveness of reusing and recycling cellphones.

In the meantime, Ms. Fishbein said, American manufacturers should limit 
waste by standardizing design elements so consumers have fewer reasons to 
buy new phones.

Although manufacturers are working to reduce their use of toxic materials, 
they oppose a mandated technical standard, Mr. Larson said.

"If we had had a government standard in the beginning," he said, "we'd 
still all be speaking on analog phones. And that means no e-mail, no text 
messaging, no Caller ID. Competition equals innovation in this case."
************************
Government Computer News
NIST-NSA team readies systems security guidance
By Jason Miller

The National Information Assurance Partnership in the next month will 
release two draft guides to create standards for systems security 
certification and accreditation and for minimum security controls for IT.

NIAP is a collaboration between the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology and the National Security Agency.

NIAP president Ron Ross said yesterday that the guides are the first 
attempt to help agencies use common definitions and measures when securing 
systems. He said there are about 12 certification and accreditation 
programs across government. NIAP will release the drafts for a 45-day 
public-comment period. The first draft is set for an Oct. 28 release, the 
second for Nov. 11. NIAP plans to issue final versions next year, Ross said.

"We want to bring a standard process and procedure to understanding how to 
secure systems," he said. "We will help agencies understand what they need 
to start securing systems by having them answer simple questions like, 
'What do you want to secure?' and 'What value do you place on your 
information?' "

Ross said the accreditation guide will outline the process for agencies and 
companies to use when doing security reviews and certifications of systems.

"This is our first attempt to let agencies go out to an organization with a 
degree of confidence that they understand what needs to be done to secure 
systems," Ross said. "This will be similar to the six NIST-accredited 
organizations that review the security of commercial products."

The second guide will detail the minimum security controls agencies need 
for systems. It will identify controls for three levels: low, medium and 
high. Ross said the guide also will focus on three security areas: 
confidentiality, integrity and data availability.

Although NIST cannot mandate that agencies adhere to the guides, Ross said 
he hopes agencies will view them as de facto standards because NIAP created 
them by working with interagency groups.

Ross spoke yesterday in Washington at an enterprise architecture conference 
sponsored by GCN, Washington Technology and the Digital Government Institute.
*******************************
Government Computer News
Election reform deal would send billions to states
By Wilson P. Dizard III

A long-awaited compromise over election reform procedures appears to have 
formed in a Congressional conference committee, and $3.8 billion in federal 
funds for new election technology could be on its way to states soon.

The legislation to overhaul election procedures, known as the Help America 
Vote Act (HR 3295), has been stalled for months as Senate Democrats and 
House Republicans sought a compromise over its antifraud provisions and 
other sections.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio), chairmen of the 
conference committee, announced Friday that the panel had agreed on the 
outlines of a compromise. Conference committee staff members were compiling 
the details of the compromise this afternoon.

The outline of the compromise includes:


More than $3.7 billion in direct aid to states to improve federal election 
processes


Creation of an Election Assistance Commission to issue voluntary guidelines 
for voting systems


Antifraud provisions requiring positive identification and accurate voter 
lists


Provisional balloting procedures to allow voting while disputes are resolved


Improved voting access for the disabled, including more than $100 million 
in physical access grants


New voting procedures for military and overseas voters


Criminal penalties for vote fraud.

The original election reform bills passed each chamber by wide margins. The 
two lawmakers praised the compromise as bipartisan and bicameral.
**************************
Government Executive
IRS wins approval for free online tax filing system
From National Journal's Technology Daily

The Justice Department has approved a plan for private-sector companies, in 
conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service, to offer free, online 
tax-filing services to some U.S. citizens.

Charles James, the assistant attorney general for Justice's Antitrust 
Division, granted permission to tax-filing services to form the consortium 
for electronic tax-preparation services.

"This innovative public-private partnership between providers of electronic 
tax services and the IRS promises to make free, electronic tax preparation 
and filing services more readily available to individual taxpayers," James 
said in a Monday statement.

Justice reviewed the proposal for potential antitrust concerns.

Under the plan, participants can continue offering their own services 
independently of what they offer through the consortium. But the group must 
ensure that at least 60 percent of taxpayers receive the service for free.

The IRS ultimately will offer a Web site linking to the free services.
*****************************
Government Executive
House votes to require agencies to assess privacy impact of rules
From National Journal's Technology Daily

The House on Monday passed by voice vote a measure that aims to enhance 
citizens' privacy by forcing federal agencies to assess the privacy impact 
of potential rules.

Under the bill, H.R. 4561, when a federal agency publicly discloses a 
proposed regulation, it also would have to include an initial statement 
detailing the expected impact on personal information collected as a result 
of the rule.

After a public-comment period, agencies would have to attach a final 
privacy report to the rule describing the steps that the agency will take 
to secure personal information.

Groups ranging from the American Civil Liberties Union to the National 
Rifle Association have endorsed the legislation, and House Judiciary 
Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said it has broad 
bipartisan support in Congress.

"This legislation will improve the regulatory process and protect Americans 
from an unjustified or unintentional invasion of privacy," added Rep. Bobby 
Scott, D-Va.
****************************
Washington Post
Stopped at the State Line
Cabernet-and-Contacts Coalition Fights Restrictions on E-Commerce

A native Californian, Washington lobbyist and wine lover Bob Moss has a 
short list of home-state favorites, many from wineries so small he can't 
find their labels in local stores. But ordering over the Internet for 
direct shipment to his home in the District is implausible because a local 
law permits consumers to receive only one quart of wine a month from 
out-of-state wineries.

"It's very frustrating," Moss said.

Lewis Parker, owner of Willowcroft Farm Vineyards in Leesburg, has run into 
similar problems, as a supplier. That's because Virginia law doesn't permit 
any out-of-state wineries to ship directly to Old Dominion consumers, and 
he can't ship out of state either. In five states, including Maryland, it's 
a felony to circumvent the prohibition.

With each winery tour, "we make a customer -- and then lose them because we 
can't ship to them," Parker complained.

Recently, however, such limits on shipping wine and other products -- 
including contact lenses, mortgages, cars and caskets -- across state lines 
are being challenged. A growing number of business owners, academics and 
government officials say these restrictions on Internet sales have become 
anti-competitive because they are hindering, if not outright blocking, 
business opportunities.

A House subcommittee held hearings on the issue last month, and the Federal 
Trade Commission will examine it in a three-day workshop starting today.

The movement to eliminate many of these state rules is being fueled by an 
unusual coalition of interests. Joining the FTC, now headed by Timothy J. 
Muris, a Republican, is the Progressive Policy Institute, which is 
affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council, as well as the 
libertarian Institute for Justice.

"Even with the recent economic downturns, the Internet has immense 
potential as an engine for commerce," said Ted Cruz, director of the FTC's 
office of policy planning. He noted that some states have laws that, in 
effect, prohibit online sales of certain products, such as wine and cars. 
Many require online mortgage vendors to maintain offices in their states 
before they can offer loans there. And many others also require online 
retailers to have state licenses before they can sell caskets or 
replacement contact lenses.

Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.), who attended the House hearing last 
month, owns a family winery, so he's personally encountered the interstate 
shipment barriers. "You can ship loaded weapons" across state lines, but to 
ship "a bottle of cabernet from California to Florida, you can go to jail."

Some states apply more barriers than others and the fewer the barriers, the 
friendlier the state to Internet users, said Robert Atkinson, PPI vice 
president and author of a recent study on the issue.

According to his research, Oregon is the "state most friendly to Internet 
users," because its residents can purchase wine, mortgages and prescription 
drugs with few restrictions. The least friendly is South Carolina, which 
prohibits interstate wine shipments, restricts contact-lens sales and 
requires any mortgage broker selling loans in the state to maintain an 
official place of business open during regular business hours.

Local jurisdictions were in the middle of Atkinson's rankings, with 
Maryland 13th, the District, 17th and Virginia 26th. All three have firm 
limits on wine sales and some restrictions on contact-lens sales, but none 
on mortgages from out-of-state lenders.

Defenders of the restrictive laws are unapologetic. C. Boyden Gray, who 
represents Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America Inc., said "states have 
a legitimate interest in trying to collect taxes and limit sales to minors 
or to people who shouldn't be buying alcohol."

Gray, who was White House counsel under former president George H.W. Bush, 
added that state liquor regulation is unique because of the 21st Amendment 
to the U.S. Constitution, which "authorizes states to do almost anything 
they want in regulating the importation and distribution of alcohol within 
their states."

Officials of the American Optometric Association and Johnson & Johnson, 
which sells a popular line of replacement contact lenses, said they are not 
opposed to Internet sales of replacement lenses; they just want to make 
sure companies are sending out lenses that meet valid prescriptions. One 
way to assure that is through licensing and/or verification by a doctor.

The FTC has already challenged a handful of state rules that it believes 
hinders competition. Last month, it filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a 
federal court to support an Internet casket retailer who was challenging 
Oklahoma rules requiring anyone selling funeral goods to be a licensed 
funeral director.

The funeral directors have argued that licensing requirements protect 
consumers at a vulnerable time. But the FTC said the rules "restricts their 
choices and drives up their prices" because Internet casket sellers often 
charge "hundreds of dollars less" and offer custom caskets not readily 
available from funeral directors.

The FTC also filed comments with the Connecticut Board of Examiners for 
Opticians, which is considering requiring all companies that sell 
replacement contact lenses in the state to obtain a license. Eye-care 
specialists say the rule would protect consumers' health and safety, but 
the FTC said it would likely raise prices for some consumers without any 
increase in benefits.

The agency is somewhat limited in what actions it can take, Cruz 
acknowledged. It cannot use its antitrust authority to challenge state 
actions if the state regulates an industry based on a law that clearly 
explains the need for the government's role.

That's one reason for the public hearing. "The hope is to shine light on 
the issues, to educate policy makers and private parties around the country 
about what conduct we think is problematic and may be illegal under the 
antitrust laws," Cruz said. "Up to now, the fights have been isolated to 
each industry; very few people have been connecting the dots, looking at 
the aggregate effect."

Cruz cited a two-year-old study by the Progressive Policy Institute that 
estimated these barriers have cost consumers billions of dollars annually 
by limiting their choice of lower-priced products. Other studies, albeit by 
industries who claim their sales are hurt by the barriers, say the cost is 
even higher.

Ultimately, the FTC could make some legislative proposals to Congress, 
where a number of measures have already been introduced to limit state 
regulations that adversely affect Internet commerce.

Perhaps no state rules have engendered more controversy than the limits on 
interstate wine shipments direct to consumers, particularly as the number 
of domestic wineries has exploded from about 800 in 1985 to over 2,700 
today. While wholesalers have dramatically increased the stock they carry, 
many wine aficionados say many labels still are not carried.

Many states require wine to be sold only through wholesalers and retailers 
as a way to guard against underage drinking and to make sure excise taxes 
are fully paid. Some of these wine laws were enacted years ago, after 
Prohibition, while some are relatively recent.

Maryland, for example, didn't make direct wine shipments a felony, subject 
to a $1,000 fine or two years in jail or both, until 1999. That was after 
concluding its law had such weak penalties it was ineffective.

The state legislature last year amended the law to allow "direct" 
winery-to-consumer shipments -- but only if a winery first paid $10 for an 
annual permit and then sent its wine through a predesignated wholesaler 
which, in turn, would ship the wine to a retailer where a consumer would 
pick it up.

So far, no winery has applied for the license, with each side blaming one 
another: The wholesalers say no one has asked them to accept wine 
shipments. Wineries say no wholesaler has stepped forward to be the 
designated intermediary.
**************************
Guardian [UK]
UK broadband use trebles since new year
Owen Gibson
Tuesday October 8, 2002

The government's much vaunted plans to wire the nation came a step closer 
to reality today after the number of households taking broadband 
connections to the internet passed the 1 million barrier.

Telecoms watchdog Oftel revealed that the number of broadband subscribers 
had trebled since the turn of the year, when BT slashed its wholesale 
prices. Around 20,000 homes and businesses are being connected every week.

The chief executive of BT, Ben Verwaayen, has promised to have 5 million 
broadband customers in the UK by 2006 and the company embarked recently on 
a £10m advertising campaign to push the benefits of the technology.

Broadband provides an "always on", high speed connection that allows 
consumers to surf the web 10 times faster than a traditional connection, 
allowing them to watch high quality video clips and download music.

"This is great news for the UK. Today's figures show that people are really 
beginning to appreciate the benefits of broadband," said Stephen Timms, the 
e-commerce minister.

"It took five years for the UK to see 1 million people using mobile phones. 
At this pace the UK is well on its way to being the most extensive and 
competitive market for broadband in the world," he added.

UK Online for Business, the Department of Trade & Industry's partnership 
between government and industry, has published a broadband guide to 
coincide with today's announcement, promoting the benefits of broadband for 
business.

US giant AOL has also chosen today to step up the broadband price war, 
cutting the monthly subscription to its service from £34.99 to £27.99, the 
same price as BT's 'no frills' service.

It hopes it will be able to convince more of its 2 million subscribers to 
switch to broadband by offering a range of exclusive content, exploiting 
its ties with AOL Time Warner properties such as Harry Potter, Madonna and 
The Lord of the Rings.

"We know from having 2 million members that the majority of UK consumers 
want more than just a basic broadband internet connection. They want a full 
range of content, fun entertainment, communication tools, ease of use and 
quality service in a single simple package," said the AOL UK chief 
executive, Karen Thomson.

The decision to retain its 'walled garden' approach puts AOL directly at 
odds with BT's 'no frills' service, which offers a direct broadband 
connection together with links to a variety of partner sites.
****************************
Wired News
How and Why the Internet Broke
By Michelle Delio

But cyberspace hasn't gone senile. Those massive e-mail delays, slow 
Internet connections and downed e-businesses were all caused by a software 
upgrade that went horribly wrong at WorldCom's UUNet division, a large 
provider of network communications.

The problem affected roughly 20 percent of UUNet's U.S. customers -- which 
translates to millions of users across the United States and around the 
world -- for most of Thursday, according to WorldCom spokeswoman Jennifer 
Baker.

The problem began around 8 a.m. EDT. Baker said in a statement that the 
company had fully restored service by 5:15 p.m. Thursday evening. 
Preliminary investigation by UUNet indicates the problems were caused by "a 
route table issue."

Sounds simple, but imagine an airport that's having an air traffic 
controller issue, and you'll have an idea of what happened at UUNet.

Route tables direct data from one major network to another or from one area 
of a network to another area.

UUNet is a vast, high-speed network. About half of the world's Internet 
traffic -- including about 70 percent of all e-mails sent within the United 
States and half of all e-mails sent in the world -- passes through UUNet. 
The backbone of the Internet is built from these large networks.

The Internet was designed to be fault tolerant, to route information around 
downed or clogged networks. But when the router tables that direct the data 
aren't accurate, "bedlam reigns on the network," according to Mike Sweeney, 
owner of the network consulting firm Packetattack.com.

According to networking experts, a "soft error" -- like a badly configured 
routing table -- is far worse than physical damage to equipment. Things 
appear to be working fine, at least for a while.

Luckily, in many cases a soft error is relatively easy to fix, since 
normally only one or two routers are upgraded.

"But in the case of UUNet, they changed the software on a lot of routers 
all at once, so any fault tolerance they had fell by the wayside as each 
router broke due to the bad software load or incorrect configuration," 
Sweeney said.

As the affected routers dropped offline yesterday, UUNet's response time 
got slower and slower to the point of failure.

"Other UUNet routers might have tried to pick up the load, but they would 
have quickly been overwhelmed by the volume of data, and they too would 
have slowed down," Sweeney said.

"It would be like a 10-lane freeway being blocked in both directions and 
yet all the traffic still trying to get from here to there using the side 
streets. It works for a short period, and then you end up with gridlock and 
nobody getting through."

Network experts were troubled at UUNet's choice to deploy a wide-scale 
upgrade without testing and retesting the configurations first.

"You have to test, test, test before you change configs," Mark Denham, a 
Toronto networking consultant, said. "And you really don't want to upgrade 
an entire huge system like UUNet all at once, if you can avoid doing so. 
It's insanely difficult to track down an error that could be hiding 
anywhere on a gigantic system."

"And you should always have an escape route handy in case everything goes 
to hell," Sweeney added. "A spare device, saved configurations, anything to 
get the network back and working quickly if the upgrade goes badly."

Some UUNet users said that their problems on Thursday went far deeper than 
slow e-mail and sluggish Internet connections.

Any Internet-based business hosted by WorldCom's service was hit hard. Not 
only were users unable to access the Internet, but at times their customers 
would have been unable to purchase goods, book travel and rental care 
reservations, or carry out other normal business activities.

WorldCom, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a major 
corporate accounting scandal, claims that 60 percent of Fortune 1000 
businesses use its UUNet network services.
*****************************
Sydney Morning Herald
Now, viruses can bring you cash
October 8 2002

Anti-virus software maker Trend Micro 
[http://www.trendmicro.com/en/home/us/enterprise.htm]  has offered to pay 
its premium customers cash if it is late with virus updates.

In a media release issued yesterday, the company said the offer was open to 
customers who renewed of bought a subscription to its gold-level of higher 
premium support programme.

The incentive offer, known as Virus Response Service Level Agreement, will 
ensure that for each infected file submitted for analysis, the customer 
will receive:

immediate verification of whether or not the case is a virus by TrendLabs, 
the company's global antivirus research and support network;
a fully tested and qualified pattern file delivered within two hours of 
virus case submission and guaranteed to detect the virus
Fines are payable by Trend Micro in the event the two-hour time commitment 
is not honoured.

These vary, depending on the level of premium support. Those in the Gold 
support program will receive $US1,000 for each late virus pattern. Platinum 
support customers will get $US2,000 per incident and the amoutn rises to 
$US3,000 for Diamond support customers, Infoworld said, quoting Bob 
Hansmann, product manager at Trend Micro.
*****************************

Lillie Coney
Public Policy Coordinator
U.S. Association for Computing Machinery
Suite 510
2120 L Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20037
202-478-6124
lillie.coney@xxxxxxx