Security
Lawmakers Chastise Ridge Over Aid To 'First Responders'
     Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge faced the heat of elected officials whose constituencies provide the "first responders" to terrorist attacks and other emergencies and spend more money every time Ridge issues a new terrorism alert. Raising the threat level to orange, or "high," this week "has created a lot of frustration with local governments," said Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, whose district is in Los Angeles. She said the alert cost her city $4.2 million to bolster security at utility facilities and the convention center and to pay for police time. The concern is whether the federal government will reimburse localities for those costs, she said. Ridge said that $100 million has been designated for distribution based on where the intelligence community sees the biggest risks and that Los Angeles almost certainly would get some money.

Security
Port Experts Call Nation's Seaports 'Critically Vulnerable'
     The nation's seaports remain "critically vulnerable" to terrorists seeking to smuggle weapons of mass destruction -- or themselves -- into the United States, several port security experts told a Senate panel. "There are vulnerabilities in our sea cargo-container system that have the potential for exploitation by terrorists," Asa Hutchinson, the Homeland Security Department's undersecretary for border and transportation security, said during a Governmental Affairs Committee hearing. "In fact, most experts believe a terrorist attack using a container is likely." Capt. Jeffrey Monroe, director of ports and transportation for the city of Portland, Maine, said that although federal, state and local officials have made "great strides" in securing ports since Sept. 11, 2001, some problems persist, including a lack of coordination and procedural standards among agencies that regulate maritime commerce, and port managers' ongoing lack of access to intelligence data.

Exports
Officials Intensify Efforts Against Illicit Tech Exports
     Customs officials have intensified efforts to block shipments of controlled military technologies to Iraq and other nations deemed as threats, according to David Conboy, assistant director of strategic investigations at the Customs Service. At an export-control conference, Conboy described an undercover sting operation that netted an Iraqi selling military equipment from the United States to Iraq. Fadi Boutros had emigrated from Iraq and established a front company in San Diego. It acted as a procurement agent, reaching out to U.S. companies seeking various technologies, some controlled by the government. The investigation began after a Customs presentation in Connecticut on Project Shield America, a program to encourage industry aid in preventing terrorist groups and hostile countries from obtaining U.S.-made weapons of mass destruction and controlled military and dual-use technologies. Dual-use technologies have both commercial and military uses.

Security
Lawsuit Tests Legality Of Passenger Profiling For Air Travel
     The air-passenger profiling system currently being developed by the Transportation Security Administration relies on an unconstitutional requirement that citizens produce identification before they fly, according to a lawsuit in federal district court in San Francisco. The lawsuit, filed last year by computer scientist John Gilmore, a co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, charges that the government has created an "internal passport" requiring travelers to display photo ID. The fact that the requirement is secret further renders the system unconstitutional, he said. "For the first time in this nation's history, the U.S. government is using secret regulations to restrict First, Fourth and Fifth amendment rights," according to a court filing by William Simpich, an attorney for Gilmore. The case could have significant implications for the development of the Computer Assisted Passenger Pre-Screening System.

E-Commerce
Justice Official Offers Concerns With Net Gambling Measures
     A Justice Department official expressed concern over two legislative measures that seek to curb the growth of illegal online gambling and said Justice officials want to work with Congress to craft a measure. John Malcolm, deputy assistant attorney general for the department's criminal division, told the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee that while Justice supports efforts to combat online gambling, the proposed Senate and House measures fall short in several areas. Certain provisions of the Senate measure, S. 627, would not effectively address all aspects of the problem, he said. The bill mirrors the House measure, H.R. 21, approved by the Financial Services Committee last week. The legislation aims to curb the activity by prohibiting the use of credit cards and other financial instruments to pay for online gambling. "It would be fair to say that Justice has some concerns over the standards used to apply for injunctive relief," Malcolm said.

Campaigns
Study Critiques Candidates' Use Of Internet To Inform Voters
     The number of Internet users who accessed political news and information online jumped by 39 percent in the 2002 election cycle and yet campaigns did not take full advantage of the growing interest in the medium's use to provide information, according to a study released at George Washington University's Politics Online conference. The study, based on a poll commissioned by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, found that the increase in access to high-speed Internet services, worldwide news events and individuals' maturation in using the Internet sparked the use of the medium in politics. But it also concluded that the majority of campaigns did not use the medium for much more than sending e-mails to journalists or for conducting research. Meanwhile, a new Internet report from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting showed that more children have access to the Internet either at home or at school, but historical disparities that affect minority and low-income families still exist.

Net Governance
ICANN's New Leader Pledges Outreach, Global Progress
     The new president and CEO of the Internet's oversight body pledged more outreach and progress for the organization within the international community. Paul Twomey made the commitment shortly after the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) officially announced that he will fill the job. He will be the first non-U.S. citizen to assume the role. "I am very excited to be taking over the reins of president ... as the organization is maturing and expanding into international relevance," said Twomey, the former head of Australia's National Office for the Information Economy. He has been involved with ICANN since its inception.