 |
| CNN WEB SITES: |
|
| TIME INC. SITES: |
| MORE SERVICES: |
| video on demand |
| video archive |
| audio on demand |
| news email services |
| free email accounts |
| desktop headlines |
| pointcast |
| pagenet |
| DISCUSSION: |
| message boards |
| chat |
| feedback |
| SITE GUIDES: |
| help |
| contents |
| search |
| FASTER ACCESS: |
| europe |
| japan |
| WEB SERVICES: |
Senate passes Y2K 'Good Samaritan' legislation
|
October 1, 1998 by Blaise Zerega |
From...
|
|
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
IDG.net home page | |
| InfoWorld home page | ||
| InfoWorld forums home page | ||
| InfoWorld Internet commerce section | ||
| Get Media Grok and The Industry Standard Intelligencer delivered for free | ||
| Reviews & in-depth info at IDG.net | ||
| IDG.net's personal news page | ||
| Subscribe to IDG.net's free daily newsletter for IT leaders | ||
| Questions about computers? Let IDG.net's editors help you | ||
|
Search IDG.net in 12 languages | ||
| News Radio | ||
|
Fusion audio primers | |
|
|
Computerworld Minute | |
(IDG) -- The U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent the Year 2000 Information Disclosure Act, which provides companies with protection from lawsuits based on statements regarding year-2000 readiness. The bill will be taken up by the House Committee on the Judiciary, which is currently evaluating competing versions of the same law.
The Senate's action highlights a growing alarm over the lack of readiness for the year 2000 by many companies. The bill's findings include, "At least thousands but possibly millions of information technology computer systems, software programs, and semiconductors are not capable of recognizing certain dates in 1999 and after December 31, 1999, and will read dates in the year 2000 and thereafter as if those dates represent the year 1900 or thereafter or will fail to process those dates."
The Senate bill (S-2392) grew out of similar legislation proposed by President Clinton this past summer (S-2392.IS) that was designed "to encourage the disclosure and exchange of information" in order to address year-2000 computing problems.
If signed by President Clinton, the bill aims to provide companies with indemnity from lawsuits based on statements concerning the year-2000 readiness of their products. However, analysts have raised doubts as to how effective this or any legislation might be in warding off litigation.
"I wouldn't put a lot of faith in this for protection from lawsuits," said Andrew Bochman, senior analyst at the Aberdeen Group, a consultancy in Boston. "While it may protect some manufacturers from their customers, it's definitely not for the supplier community."
Blaise Zerega is a senior writer at InfoWorld.