Describes a variety of Internet threats to computers and networks used in schools. Discusses electronic trashing; clearing hard drives; cyber spying on Web sites visited; protection against cyber spying, including disposable email accounts; password sniffers; privacy policies; email snooping; email attachments that carry viruses; and hoaxes. (LRW)

School district networks are particularly difficult to protect given the diverse types of users, software, equipment and connections that most school districts provide. Vulnerabilities to the security of school district's technology infrastructure can relate to users, data, software, hardware and transmission. This article discusses different…

The psychological consequences of parental control over adolescents' issues of privacy and personal choice are explored with youth from varying cultural backgrounds.

Abortion is one of the most controversial and contentious issues of our time. Few topics generate as much public debate or leave as little room for political compromise. This article presents a discussion of selected United States Supreme Court decisions on abortion and the legal reasoning supporting those decisions. It should be noted initially…

The growing field of nanotechnology has received considerable attention as of late. The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative has committed billions of dollars toward research on the nanoscale, and proponents of nanotechnology claim that its benefits will range from curing cancer to ending poverty. This article takes a look at the possible…

Another topic involving privacy has attracted considerable attention in recent months--the "student unit record" issue. The U.S. Department of Education concluded in March that it would be feasible to help address lawmakers' concerns about accountability in higher education by constructing a database capable of tracking students from institution…

Because "Roe v. Wade" left ill-defined or derivative just who could be a medical caregiver for pregnant women, courts struggled in the post-Roe medico-legal environment to decide just who could be a medical advisor in this newly recognized zone of privacy. The courts also were challenged to balance individual privacy rights, state…

In May 2006 administrators in the Austin, Texas, Independent School District learned that Tamara Hoover, an art teacher at Austin High School, was the subject of several explicit photographs that had been posted on Flickr, a public photograph-sharing website. Purportedly these photographs were posted on Flickr by the teacher's partner without her…

This issue of "Legislative Review" takes a look at the news in higher education from March 02 to 06, 2009. This Legislative Review reports that: (1) HB 1487, a bill prohibiting expenditure of federal economic stimulus funds unless appropriated by the Legislative Assembly, was heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee Monday, March 2;…

Issues of confidentiality in educational data collection and access are examined in this paper, with attention to the treatment of confidential data. Confidentiality problems faced by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) are discussed in relation to the 1988 Hawkins-Stafford amendments, which protect the privacy rights of…

The right of publicity is based on an individual's right to be free from the appropriation of his or her name or likeness by another for the other's financial benefit. As the courts' conception of the right of publicity was exapnding, so was the development of newsworthiness as a defense for media defendants. In "Zacchini v.…

A libel suit for which the ruling hung on determination of the plaintiffs as public or private figures is described in this paper. First, the paper describes the case, in which an Oregon newspaper reported that an antique dealer and the local bank president had systematically swindled a citizen out of several hundred thousand dollars, and for…

Responding to the needs of children, particularly juvenile offenders, requires both good judgment and good information. Knowledge and awareness of a child's background and problems gives teachers, counselors, administrators, police, and other legal professionals guidance in developing proper education, programs, and counsel for the child.…

As computer databases become more publicly accessible through public networks, there is a growing need to provide effective protection for proprietary information. Without adequate assurances that their works will be protected, authors and other copyright owners may be reluctant to allow the full text of their works to be accessed through computer…

The proposed legislation--S. 2281--would amend federal laws to provide additional penalties for fraud and related activities in connection with access devices and computers. The complete text of the bill and proceedings of the hearing are included in this report. Statements and materials submitted by the following committee members and witnesses…