Internet Law Terms and Definitions

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Cable modem A modem supplied by a cable television operator that allows users to access the Internet or other information services over cable television networks, which comprise broadband coaxial cables and are capable of much greater speed than conventional twisted pair copper telephone lines. DNS Domain Name Server – Used to map names to IP addresses and vice versa. Domain Name Servers maintain central lists of domain name/IP addresses and map the domain names in your Internet requests to other servers on the Internet until the specified web site is found. See Also: IP Address Go to top Viruses & trojans These sciripts can be used to change or destroy data through email or through files Ports Web pages are accessed on servers through ports. A port can be specified by following the URL with a colon and the port number. If no port is specified, the browser uses port 80 SOFTWARE COPYRIGHT Computer programs are considered "literary works" for the purpose of copyright law. The 1980 amendments to the Copyright Act define a computer program as a "set of statements or instructions to be used directly or indirectly in a computer in order to bring about a certain result." Fiber optic cable A type of wire-line transmission media that converts information into light pulses that travel down hollow glass tubes the diameter of a human hair. Fiber optic cables are used in broadband networks, and are capable of carrying an enormous amount of information in all its forms --sound, graphics, data, and video, or a multimedia combination thereof -- with much greater speed, accuracy, and security than conventional copper wires and coaxial cables. Bit A "binary digit," the smallest unit of measurement having values of 0 or 1. Bits are used to record the size of a data file on a computer, the capacity per second of a network, and so on. Wiretap Act Rule on the degree to which the federal Wiretap Act protects the privacy of e-mail, by deciding whether the act applies to e-mail held in temporary storage. Telecommunications Act of 1996 A law passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by President Clinton that extensively revises and updates the 1934 Communications Act, heretofore the principal law governing U.S. communications industries. Antitrust U.S. laws designed to prevent any one company from acquiring such a degree of control over a given market that it substantially prevents competition among alternative suppliers and limits consumer choice.

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	Did You Know?
	1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments (EFOIA) The 1966 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) permits any person to request access to federal agency records or information. Federal agencies are required to disclose records upon receipt of a written request, except for records that are protected from disclosure by nice exemptions or three exclusions in the Act. Persons are also able to request documents in an electronic format under the 1996 Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments (EFOIA).