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Porn And Spam In The Buckeye State
by Maureen Sirhal
A federal judge in Ohio has issued a temporary injunction against a new state law aimed at curbing the public dissemination of online pornography and other material deemed harmful to minors.
U.S. District Judge Walter Rice last Friday ordered officials not to enforce the law. Although the state's sex-offense law dates back more than 25 years, lawmakers revised it to include a ban on the display of electronic materials such as Internet postings and e-mails.
Dayton-based Book Friends and a group of publishers sued Gov. Bob Taft in May to have the law declared unconstitutional. They argue that the language is too broad and prohibits any sexually explicit materials posted on the Web, including advertisements for books. The law was due to take effect Monday.
"We emphasized in the oral arguments that he law was intended to go after predators, not publishers," said Joe Case, a spokesman for the Ohio attorney general, who is defending Taft.
"I'm disappointed in the court's order," Taft said in a statement. "We feel strongly that this is a common sense law to protect Ohio children from exploitation by predators. We will be consulting with our legal counsel as the case proceeds."
Rice likely will issue his rationale behind the order on Aug. 16, he said.
In other Ohio news, state residents finally may get relief from the deluge of Internet junk mail because Taft last week signed a measure to curb unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam, to state residents.
The law requires that all spam sent to or by Ohio citizens contain truthful information on the sender and a mechanism for recipients to prevent future e-mails. The legislation also compels online advertisers to follow the anti-spam policies of their Internet service providers (ISPs).
Under the law, which takes effect within 90 days, spam recipients can collect $100 per message and up to $50,000 in total damages for violations. The law also allows ISPs to collect damages.
Meanwhile, Taft said this week that Ohio has granted Cisco Systems and CMS Communications a 65 percent job-creation tax credit for launching new campuses in the state, providing 130 high-tech, high-paying jobs and retaining 168 positions. Cisco plans to expand its Aironet Wireless Communications operation, and CMS plans to expand its facility and purchase additional machinery and equipment.
Indiana Judges Go High Tech
Indiana's judiciary has launched a major initiative to install a statewide computer system to electronically track legal cases pending in the courts.
Under a contract with Computer Associates, the new computer system will enable citizens and lawyers to check the status of their cases over the Internet, for example. Courts across the state will be able to electronically transmit orders to suspend driver's licenses, among other things, and judges will be able to track whether defendants are facing charges anywhere else in the state.
"The Indiana judiciary, in partnership with state and county government leaders, began work today on a new statewide court computer project that dramatically will improve service to Indiana citizens and assist our law enforcement officers in their work," Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard said in a statement. "I consider this to be the most important improvement in Indiana courts in over 30 years."
The system is expected to take up to three years to install, at a cost of $2.3 million a year. Computer Associates also will develop programs to connect the case-management system with agencies that rely on court information, such as the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the state police and the Corrections Department.
The move mimics those in other states, such as Michigan, that are attempting to incorporate technology into the court system to improve the timeline for closing cases and reducing backlogs.
New York Funds Tech Research Facility
New York's state college at Stony Brook, Long Island, has been granted funding to launch a $230 million Center for Excellence in Wireless Internet and Information Technology, Gov. George Pataki announced last Friday.
The project aims to create thousands of high-tech jobs in the region and is expected to bring software firms to New York. The center is expected to receive more than $130 million in major investments from the private sector, from venture-capital firms and technology companies like Computer Associates, Symbol Technologies and Reuters. The new facility will feature labs for emerging wireless technologies, cyber security, computer networking and computational sciences, and workforce training rooms.
New York will provide $50 million to support construction, which is expected to begin at the end of the year, along with an estimated $50 million in federal support anticipated over the next five years.
"This is tremendous news for Long Island and all of New York state," Pataki said in a statement. "The Center of Excellence at Stony Brook will bring thousands of good-paying, high-tech jobs to Long Island while further enhancing the region's leadership role in the field of information technology."
The center will focus its research on innovations designed to bolster seamless wireless communications, including the elimination of "dead spots" in wireless spectrum that often cause consumers to lose their connections. The center's research also will look at ways to improve wireless security.
The New York State Office for Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR) also awarded the college at Stony Brook $15 million for research on bimolecular diagnostics and therapeutics.
Elsewhere in New York, officials quickly removed one of its official Web sites after finding that personal data of online job applicants, including their Social Security numbers, had been publicly accessible, The New York Post reported.
While officials said there is no evidence than anyone accessed the information on the Department of Citywide Services site, they nevertheless told the 1,942 affected applicants about the situation.
The online job-application page was launched June 28 to expedite applications for 100 different civil-service exams. It enabled applicants to create profiles and to avoid repeatedly re-entering personal information. Officials said they are working to re-establish the site.
The Route From Virginia To Asia
Virginia leaders are planning another high-level trade mission in November, aimed at promoting the state's image as a global technology leader.
Gov. Mark Warner, Technology Secretary George Newstrom, Commerce Secretary Mike Schewel and Virginia business executives will travel to Japan, China and Hong Kong from Nov. 9-23 to meet with counterparts and facilitate business ties to the region.
Newstrom is soliciting members of the Northern Virginia Technology Council to make the trip.
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