IDC Recommends Leveraging Lessons Learned to Reduce Spam
"Rising tides of spam are drowning the usefulness of e-mail, according to a new report from IDC. Spam has accounted for 38 percent of the 31 billion e-mails sent each day in North America in 2004, up from 24 percent in 2002.
"IDC researcher Mark Levitt said the biggest challenge is to use the lessons learned so far and the investments made to help screen all inbound and outbound e-mails without compromising worker efficiency, corporate governance and regulatory compliance requirements."
CNET staff. Spam Volume Keeps Rising. News.com. Sept. 1, 2004.
FSU Tunes Up Its Student Body
"In an effort to prevent illegal file sharing on campus, Florida State University is on the verge of finalizing a deal with Apple Computer, Inc. — a deal that would provide free iTunes software to students and allow them to download music for 99 cents per song.
"Carl Baker, the director of university computer systems at the FSU Academic Computing and Network Services Department, was appointed chair of a committee charged with finding a way to stop illegal file sharing on campus. The committee, known as the Online Music Committee, was created this spring semester and is made up of members of FSU’s administration and a small group of students."
Erica Rodriguez. FSU to sign deal with Apple. FSU View. Aug. 26, 2004.
FTC Seeks Civil Penalties for Violation of Do-Not-Call-List
"The Federal Trade Commission, seeking its first civil penalties against a telemarketer for violating the federal do-not-call list, has sued a Las Vegas firm, saying it called more than 300,000 numbers on the registry to sell time-share properties in Atlantic City.
"In a lawsuit filed Monday in a Nevada federal court, the agency said Braglia Marketing Group LLC also broke federal rules governing the use of automated dialers. If consumers answer such calls, they must be connected to a sales representative within two seconds.
"More than 63 million telephone numbers have been registered on the national do-not-call list and more than 100,000 complaints have been filed at the FTC since enforcement began in October 2003."
Caroline E. Mayer. Marketer Sued for Do-Not-Call Violation. WashingtonPost.com. Sept. 1, 2004.
(Editor�s Note: The Post allows free access to their stories on the Web for 14 days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archives.)
Strategic Plan for Electronic Health Records
"The Bush administration has released a strategic plan for every U.S. citizen’s health information to be stored in an ‘electronic health record’ central database within ten years.
"Each person would have a ‘personal health record,’ an electronic file the individual would manage, that could exchange information with the EHR database.
"The PHR would contain information on a person’s insurance plan, prescriptions, allergies, medical history, and conditions such as asthma or diabetes."
Mark S. Sullivan. Medical Records May Go Online. PC World. Aug. 23, 2004.
See also:
United States Department of Health & Human Services. HHS Fact Sheet–HIT Report At-A-Glance. July 21, 2004.
White House Press Secretary. Transforming Health Care for All Americans. May 27, 2004.
Hewlett Packard Introduces iPod
"Hoping to make a big bang in consumer electronics, Hewlett-Packard plans to unveil its long-awaited HP-branded iPod, along with its first televisions, an entertainment hub and the usual array of new printers and cameras, sources said.
Also among the dozens of new gadgets that HP CEO Carly Fiorina will introduce is the company’s first digital projector for consumers, a product the company has been developing for some time. HP has been working on the projector, already a business staple, for more than a year.
"The iPod, while expected to be similar to Apple Computer’s version, is important both as the company’s entree into the music market as well as a part of HP’s strategy to become cool enough to be allowed in the living room."
Ina Fried. HP’s iPod to Lead Consumer Push. News.com. Aug. 26, 2004.
See also Michael J. Miller. An HP iPod and More. PC Magazine. Aug. 27, 2004.
Microsoft to Offer Music Service
"When Microsoft unveils its online music store later this week, the first song offered should be Dave Brubeck’s ‘It’s Déjà Vu All Over Again.’ For Microsoft, taking a trail blazed by others – then trying to dominate the market – is a familiar tune.
With the opening on Thursday, Microsoft will land itself in a market that Apple Computer pioneered more than a year ago with its iTunes online music store, in much the same way that it took on Netscape in the Web browser business and Sony in the market for console game machines.
"As a storefront on the MSN online service, Microsoft’s music service will offer song tracks for downloading to personal computers and portable music players."
Laurie J. Flynn. Can Microsoft Beat iTunes With a Store of Its Own?. The New York Times. Aug. 30, 2004.
See also John Borland and Jim Hu. MSN Music: It’s Really About Windows. ZDNet.com. Aug. 30, 2004.
(Editor�s Note: The Times allows free access to their stories on the Web for seven days before sending the stories to the paper�s fee-based Archive.)
Web Service Offers Caller ID Spoofing System
"Overdue debtors beware: You may not be able to rely on Caller ID to screen out those annoying bill collectors much longer. A California entrepreneur has a plan to bring the hacker technique of Caller ID spoofing to the business world, beginning with collection agencies and private investigators.
"Slated for launch this week, Star38.com would offer subscribers a simple Web interface to a Caller ID spoofing system that lets them appear to be calling from any number they choose.
"Caller I.D. spoofing has for years been within the reach of businesses with certain types of digital connections to their local phone company, and more recently has become the plaything of hackers and pranksters exploiting permissive voice over IP systems. But Star38.com appears to be the first stab at turning Caller I.D. spoofing into a commercial venture.
Kevin Poulsen. US Website Offers Caller ID Falsification Service. SecurityFocus. Aug. 30, 2004.
Update: Ken Belson. Citing Threats, Entrepreneur to Quit Caller ID Venture. News.com. Sept. 4, 2004. (Founder, Jason Jepson, said the people who threatened him already tapped his phone calls and had obtained details about how much money he last deposited into his checking account.)
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