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Last Update:
17.12.2001
The Year in Review
| Index: |
 Intro |
| p 1 E-Mail |
| p 2 In Court and in Congress |
| p 3 Internet Companies |
| p 4 The Press |
| p 5 Strange Online |
| p 6 Random Stats |
| p 7 Domain Names |
| p 8 The Best Of |
| p 9 The SMS Awards |
| p 10 September 11 |
| What's New |
| TechNews |
| WorldNews |
| AskExperts |
| SiteSeeing |
| TravelLinx |
| Telephony |
| ScheduLinx |
| e-Commerce |
| e-Trading |
| Wise & Wired |
| Daily Quiz |
[ Headlinks ]
[ Inside/Out ]
In Court and in CongressThere were many lawsuits this year; from the music industry for copyright infringments right and left, from abroad as French courts rulled against content on a US website and the ongoing DOJ vs Microsoft trial, where incredibly, on June 28, the software giant was let off the hook by a federal appeals court reversing the breakup order. Meanwhile in Congress, following the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, bills were signed by President George W. Bush, which for the sake of national security, will affect our right to privacy online.
The Highs:
The EFF and ACLU's continuous workThe Electronic Frontier Fondation's and the ACLU's continuous work to defend Americans' freedom of speech, both from the government and from industry leaders. This year they have taken up legal cases to oppose the new laws proposed after the September 11 attacks such as the Anti-Terrorism Bill and the new surveillance laws, as well as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act involving the film and music industries, P2P systems, domain name trademark disputes, censorship laws, racial profiling laws, as well as many others.
A mixed victory for freedom of speechU.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel ruled that a French court decision holding Yahoo liable for First Amendment protected expression on its U.S. website could not be enforced in U.S. courts. eff.org
EU Sticking to Tough Spam LawEuropean Union ministers stuck to their plan for a pan-European ban on unsolicited e-mail, fax and text messages Wired
The Lows:
DOJ vs MicrosoftOn September 6, 2001, the U.S. Justice Department said it was no longer seeking the breakup of Microsoft and wanted to find a quick remedy in the antitrust case. Wired / WashTech
[Update] Resolution of case could be years away, Senators from both parties challenged the Justice Department's antitrust settlement with Microsoft on Wednesday, sending a clear signal that the case is far from over. SV.com
CyberSurveillance— «MATA» or the Mobilization Against Terrorism Act. President Bush's anti-terrorism bill, will unleash Echelon and Carnivore, and focus strongly on suspected terrorists. Wired
— «Magic Lantern». The FBI is going to new lengths to eavesdrop, designing software to monitor computer use and urging phone companies to help make wiretaps more reliable. Nando Times Wired/
Net TaxesA House panel voted to scale back a proposed extension of the ban on new Internet taxes from five years to two. Internet News
Going Overboard:
Copyright IssueOutrageously strict Internet copyright laws went into effect this year throughout Australia which make it illegal to forward an e-mail memo without the author's permission. The Register
Best of Chris Hiers
Editorial Cartoons
"Paranoid"
