Fwd: IP: it's time the media started labeling these viruses correctly!

[Gene Spafford <spaf@cerias.purdue.edu>]

As this board is involved in nomenclature issues, I thought this
worth passing along.

I, for one, agree with Jim.

--spaf

PS.  I did a little statistical work on virus counts as part of a
local discussion group.   Of the 60000 or so known viruses, worms,
etc., about 55,000 of them are Microsoft-specific.  31 are for the
Macintosh, and about 5 are for Unix/Linux.    Simply FYI.   Imagine
if we were to do CVE entries for each?

>Delivered-To: ip-sub-1-outgoing@listbox.com
>Delivered-To: ip-sub-1@majordomo.pobox.com
>X-Sender: farber@linc.cis.upenn.edu
>Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 19:58:35 -0400
>To: ip-sub-1@majordomo.pobox.com
>From: Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>
>Subject: IP: it's time the media started labeling these viruses correctly!
>Sender: owner-ip-sub-1@admin.listbox.com
>Reply-To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
>
>>
>>Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 16:50:07 -0800
>>To: farber@cis.upenn.edu (Dave Farber), neumann@csl.sri.com
>>From: Jim Warren <jwarren@well.com>
>>Subject: it's time the media started labeling these viruses correctly!
>>
>>[Also blind-cc'ed to others.  Recirculate freely.]
>>
>>The media didn't call the World Trade Towers bomb, "the Ryder Truck bomb."
>>They didn't call the Unibomber bombs, "US Postal Service bombs."
>>
>>They should stop mislabeling computer viruses by their *innocent* carrier
>>-- the Internet.
>>
>>They should start labeling them what they are: "Microsoft Outlook Express
>>virus" or "Microsoft Explorer virus" or "Microsoft Word macro virus
>>(reputedly the single largest source of viruses for years!)."
>>
>>Or more briefly -- and accurately -- just call each one, "the latest
>>Microsoft virus."
>>
>>Let's ask the major media, below, for some *truth* in labeling -- giving
>>"credit" where credit really is due.  Let's ask them to stop shooting the
>>messenger, and start naming the real origin -- the errors and dangers that
>>Microsoft has built into its products for *years*.
>>
>>CNN:  http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
>>
>>CNNfn:  http://cnnfn.com/resources/email.html
>>
>>ABC:  http://abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abc_contactus.html
>>
>>CNBC:  http://www.cnbc.com/misc/feedback.asp
>>
>>CBS:  http://cbsnews.cbs.com/ and click on "Feedback" in the lefthand column
>>
>>NBC:  Nightly News, email to:  nightly@nbc.com
>>
>>Fox: News Channel, email to:  comments@foxnews.com
>>Fox Digital:  email to:  comments@newsdigital.com
>>
>>NEW YORK TIMES:  "Letters" Editor, email to:  letters@nytimes.com
>>
>>WASHINGTON POST: email to:  webnews@washpost.com
>>   and click on  http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/opinion/letterstotheeditor/
>>
>>LOS ANGELES TIMES:  http://www.latimes.com/siteservices/talk_contacts.htm
>>
>>WALL STREET JOURNAL: "Letters" Editor, email to:  letter.editor@edit.wsj.com
>>
>>--jim, Jim Warren; jwarren@well.com
>>Contributing Editor & technology public-policy columnist, MicroTimes Magazine
>>Also GovAccess list-owner/editor; 345 Swett Rd, Woodside CA 94062
>>   voice/650-851-7075; fax-disconnected-"for"-spam
>>
>>[self-inflating puff: Hugh Hefner First-Amendment Award, Playboy Foundation;
>>Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (in its first year);
>>James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award, Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Calif
>>founded InfoWorld; the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences;
>>etc etc etc.]