If you are using Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Outlook/Express),
Microsoft has the following recommendations:
....from:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/settings.mspx
Increase Your Browsing and E-Mail Safety
4 Steps to Help Ward Off Hackers and Attackers
Updated: June 11, 2004
If your computer is part of a managed network, contact your system
administrator before making any changes.
Malicious hackers and virus writers can take advantage of low security
settings in your e-mail and Web browsing software to infect your
computer. They can do this by sending you a malicious e-mail message or
by enticing you to visit a malicious Web site. By increasing your
security settings in Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook,
and Microsoft Outlook Express, you can help limit your chances of being
attacked.
There are four things you can do right now to increase your security.
1. Set Internet Explorer security level to High
2. Add Web sites you consider safe to Trusted Sites
3. Use plain text to read the e-mail messages you receive
4. Block pop-up windows in your browser
...more details at:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/incident/settings.mspx
...from:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20040702085542832
Dutch Parliament Withdraws Support for Software Patents
Friday, July 02 2004 @ 08:55 AM EDT
The Dutch parliament is making news. It has just withdrawn its vote
for the Directive on Software Patents. It's a proof-of-concept vote,
you might say, the first time such a move has been taken in the history
of the EU, demonstrating that other countries are free to do the same,
as we reported on June 22. Here is part of the FFI press release.
Today, July the 1st, the Dutch Parliament has decided to direct
Minister Brinkhorst and Secretary of State van Gennip (Economic
Affairs) to withdraw the Dutch vote in support of the Council of
Ministers' text for the Directive on Software Patents. This is the
first time in the history of the EU that such a course of action has
been undertaken.
The idea of allowing patents on software has been strongly criticized
among SMEs (small medium enterprises), scientists and consumer
organisations. They inhibit investments in Research and Development and
contribute to higher prices. Commentators also fear the rise of a
"lawyers paradise" in Europe such as is found in the USA, where
programmers are constantly threatened by lawsuits.
This act represents an incisive criticism of the European Council of
Ministers' attempts to introduce broad patentability of software.
Minister Brinkhorst, acting on behalf of the Netherlands, endorsed the
Council's current proposal, which not only reiterated the terms of the
Council's strongly criticized first proposal, but went even further,
directly rebuffing the clear stance assumed by the EU Parliament, which
voted to add numerous amendments which made clear how the category of
logical algorithms would be treated.
The European Parliament's version asserted that patents would only be
allowed for industrial inventions (e.g. washing machines) and would not
be made possible for pure software. All these adaptations were removed
in the Council of Ministers' controversial version.
Earlier, Brinkhorst described the Council proposal to the Dutch
Parliament as a compromise with the EP. In recent legislative
debates,Van Gennip was forced to admit that this was incorrect
information, and
attributed it to "an error in the word processor."
The Dutch Parliament apparently didn't buy this explanation and today
she rendered an historic and groundbreaking decision, calling upon
Minister Brinkhorst and van Gennip to withdraw the Netherland's
supporting vote in the European Council and convert it to an
abstention. This measure is possible because at the present moment
there is only a "political agreement" and the "formal vote" can only
take place after the contested text has been translated into the 20
European Languages. An emergency brake move in the procedure such as
this has never been exercised before.
With this decision, the Dutch Parliament demonstrates the active
interest her public holds in the debate over software patents, and the
recognition and appreciation for the adaptations introduced by the
European Parliament.
Dieter Van Uytvanck, spokesman of FFII Netherlands, stresses the
importance of this decision:
"This political signal reaches much further than just The Netherlands.
We hope that other European countries that also have their doubts about
the proposal of the Council will also withdraw their support, so that
the current proposal no longer has a majority. The historic precedent
is there now."
