Norwegian Teen Acquitted in Piracy Case; Northern Virginia Likely as Homeland Security HQ; Korean Cybercrime Soars 80% over 2001

Norwegian Teen Acquitted in Piracy Case

According to a story in the Norwegian news site Aftenposten, a Norwegian teenager who helped crack a code meant to protect the content of DVDs was acquitted on all charges. Norwegian prosecutors, acting largely on a complaint from the powerful American entertainment industry, had maintained that Jon Lech Johansen acted illegally when he shared his DVD decryption code with others by putting it out on the Internet. Johansen, who was just 16 when the fuss around him started, maintained all along that pirate copying was never his intention. According to the New York Times today, Johansen, now 19, has said that the software was intended to help him play DVDs he already owned on a Linux-based computer, for which DVD software had not yet been written. Johansen felt that since he owned the DVDs, he should be able to view them as he liked, preferably right on his own computer. Aftenposten reports that the court, citing Norwegian laws that protect what a consumer can do with his or her own property, agreed. The Times says that although Norway has outlawed hacking and computer piracy, the legal boundaries around DVD replication in Europe are less clear, and Johansen’s case was considered a crucial test of international attitudes toward an issue that continues to frustrate Hollywood. Northern Virginia Likely as Homeland Security HQ The Washington Post cites congressional sources. The imminent decision marks a major step toward the creation of a 177,000-employee department by a Jan. 24 deadline set by Congress. It would establish the first Cabinet agency outside the District since the Pentagon was completed during World War II. There has been some controversy over the sites selected and the selection procedure. Maryland and The District both feel slighted. The Post reports that a House official said that Republican leaders were drafting language yesterday that would allow the administration to bypass a normal review by the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and win blanket approval on the House floor for its plan to lease up to 575,000 square feet at an annual cost of up to $25.9 million.

The Bush administration has narrowed its search for a Department of Homeland Security headquarters to three sites in Northern Virginia and is pressing Congress for immediate approval,

Korean Cybercrime Soars *0% over 2001Chosun Ilbo online. The number of arrests have also soared 85 percent from 22,693 in 2001 to 41,900 last year. Reported cases of invasion of privacy had a 125-percent increase, rating the highest jump.

Koreas National Police Agency announced Wednesday that cybercrimes have increased 80 percent since 2001, reporting 60,068 cases, according to the English version of Koreas