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State-by-State Report on Permanent Public Access to Electronic Government Information, June 2003, American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), 292 pages, pdf. “The purpose of this study was to assess the level of permanent public access to electronic government information across all state governments… The survey results reveal that no state is comprehensively addressing these challenges. …
The Internet under Surveillance, Obstacles to the free flow of information online, by Vinton G. Cerf (151 pages, pdf) “In this 21st century information age, Internauts have significant responsibilities. They must guard against abusive censorship and counteract misinformation. They must take responsibility for thoughtful use of the Internet and the World Wide Web and all …
Microsoft has released into beta testing its speech server and said it will launch a partner program for solution providers building speech applications. Microsoft’s White Paper: Microsoft Speech Server, Enabling people to use speech as part of their everyday interactions with software and services whether they are using telephones, mobile devices, or PCs.
From News.com: Search engines’ display of miniature images is fair use under copyright law, a federal appeals court ruled Monday, but the legality of presenting full-size renditions of visual works is yet to be determined. Opinion and Order from the U.S. Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit, Leslie A. Kelly v. Arriba Soft Corporation (now known …
The Lure of Data: Is It Addictive?: “According to research compiled by David E. Meyer, a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, multitaskers actually hinder their productivity by trying to accomplish two things at once. Mr. Meyer has found that people who switch back and forth between two tasks, like exchanging e-mail and writing …
From the New York Times: “Officials of the American Library Association will call a meeting with the makers of Internet filtering software next month to voice concern over a federal law that requires libraries and schools to use Internet filters or risk losing federal money.” See also: American Library Assoc. Wants More Info On Net …
From the press release: The Public Library of Science is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization of scientists committed to making the world’s scientific and medical literature a public resource. Since October 2000, more than 30,000 scientists, including 13 Nobel Laureates have supported the Public Library of Science and its mission. More information about PLoS, including …
Justices Put Access to Online Information in the Wrong Hands. Also see my posting, Supreme Court Backs Net Filters For Libraries. And, a cartoon is worth a thousand words… (sent by James S. Tyre).
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals (“The nation’s largest — and most controversial — appeals court…”) ruled in favor of website publishers in Batzel v. Cremers (41 page pdf), stating that “providers and users of interactive computer services…..are immune from liability for defamatory or obscene speech…when the material is provided by someone else.” See the …
From this AP article: “The nation’s librarians, set back by a Supreme Court ruling upholding requirements for Internet filters to block p*****graphy, plan to step up pressure on software vendors to disclose more about how their products work.” Related articles worth a look: Questions and Answers on Web Filtering and this EFF webpage on Examples …
From today’s Washington Post, Overview: Short History of Copyright in the Digital Age, Internet Sparks a Copyright Fire. From the battles between the entertainment industry, “fair use rights” advocates, consumers and copyright holders, this article touches on the complex, high-stake issues, legislative initiatives and key players making news in this arena.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Online Policy Group (OPG) yesterday announced the release of their joint report, Internet Blocking in Public Schools, A Study on Internet Access in Educational Institutions. “The study found that blocking software overblocked state-mandated curriculum topics extensively — for every web page correctly blocked as advertised, one or more …
