Date: Thu, 13 Jan 1994 15:42:37 EST Subject: CPSR Alert 3.01 CPSR Alert 3.01 ============================================================== @@@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@ @ @@@ @@@@@ @ @@@ @@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @ @@@ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @ @ @ ============================================================= Volume 3.01 January 13, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------- Published by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Washington Office (Alert@washofc.cpsr.org) ------------------------------------------------------------- Contents [1] FBI Pushes for Enhanced Wiretap Capabilities [2] Public Hearings on Privacy in DC & Cal. [3] GAO Criticizes Govt. Data Matching Programs [4] DIAC Call for Workshop Proposals [5] New Files at the CPSR Internet Library [6] Nonprofit seeks PCs [7] Upcoming Conferences and Events ------------------------------------------------------------- [1] FBI Pushes for Enhanced Wiretap Capabilities In the past month, FBI officials have indicated publicly that they are continuing to push for enactment of legislation to mandate the building in of electronic surveillance capabilities into most telecommunications equipment. In addition, there are also reports that the Department of Justice is investigating the possibility of recommending changes in the law to allow for military personnel and equipment to be used by law enforcement for electronic surveillance of Asian speakers. On December 8, FBI Director Louis Freeh spoke at the National Press Club where he stated: In order to keep up with the criminals and to protect our national security, the solution is clear. We need legislation to ensure that telephone companies and other carriers provide law enforcement with access to this new technology. Communications Daily reported that the FBI and the telecommunications carriers have formed a working group to discuss the problem and that the companies might implement the capabilities voluntarily. This working group has met several times. Scripps Howard News Service reported on December 5 that the Department of Justice is considering proposing new legislation to allow the military to assist with wiretaps of Asian suspects. Currently the military is prohibited by the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of military personal and resources in civilian law enforcement activities. It was amended in 1981 to allow for use of military personal and equipment for advice and assistance in drug interdiction. Freeh reportedly told Scripts Howard that "I think that if we had access to 50 or 100 qualified linguists in the Asian language[s] we could probably monitor by ten times our ability to do court-authorized surveillances of Asian organized crime groups." Civil liberties groups are concerned about the military conducting domestic electronic surveillance, especially in light of the recent disclosures by CPSR of the National Security Agency's role in the development of the Digital Signature Standard and the Digital Telephony Proposal. Sources inside the administration indicate that the long awaited inter-agency review of government encryption policy, including Clipper, the Digital Telephony Proposal and export control is due out by the end of January. The report is expected to be classified. ------------------------------------------------------------- [2] Public Hearings on Privacy in DC & California The Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) Privacy Working Group has announced two public hearings on privacy and the NII to be held in Sacramento, Ca and Washington, DC The meetings are organized by the US Office of Consumer Affairs. They are the first meetings in nearly twenty years to be held outside Washington on privacy. The public meetings will examine privacy issues relating to such areas as law enforcement, financial services, information technology, and direct marketing. Representatives from the public, private and non-profit sectors will attend. CPSR has been asked to participate at both hearings. The California meeting, January 10th and llth, will be hosted by Jim Conran, Director, California Department of Consumer Affairs in the First Floor Hearing Room at 400 R Street in Sacramento. The Washington, DC meeting, January 26th and 27th, will be held at the U.S. Department of Commerce Auditorium, 14th & Constitution Ave. NW. Registration begins at 8:30am, meetings at 9am. The public is invited to attend, question speakers and to make brief comments, but space is limited. Concise written statements for the record should be sent to "Privacy," USOCA, 1620 L Street NW, Washington DC 20036 or faxed to (202)634-4135. For more Information, Contact Pat Faley or George Idelson at (202)634-4329. ------------------------------------------------------------- [3] GAO Criticizes Govt Matching Programs The General Accounting Office has just released a report criticizing government efforts at implementing the Computer Matching and Privacy Act of 1988. The report finds that most agencies do not adequately follow the requirements of the Act. The Act was passed in 1988 in response to concern over the matching of computerized records of personal information controlled by the government. The Act requires that agencies conduct cost-benefit analyses before beginning matching programs. It also creates Data Integrity Boards in each agency oversee the agency's actions. The GAO found that in 41 percent of all matching programs, no cost or benefit analysis was conducted. In 59 percent of the time, the analyses were inadequate because they did not include all benefits or costs. The GAO also found that the Data Integrity Boards have never denied a match, even when the cost-benefit analyses were clearly deficient or wrong. Rep. Gary Condit, Chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, who requested the report stated in a press release announcing the report: "Most federal agencies have done a lousy job of complying with the Computer Matching Act. Agencies ignore the law or interpret it to suit their own bureaucratic convenience, without regard for the privacy interests that the law was designed to protect." "As a result we don't have any idea when computer matching is a cost-effective technique for preventing fraud, waste, and abuse...A broader issue is whether agencies can be expected to police their own operations...We may need a different approach to overseeing federal privacy-related activities." The report, Computer Matching: Quality of Decisions and Supporting Analyses Little Affected by 1988 Act (GAO/PEMD-94-2) is available from the GAO for free by calling 202-512-6000. CPSR has obtained an electronic copy of the report which will be made available shortly at the CPSR Internet Archive. ------------------------------------------------------------- [4] DIAC Call for Workshop Proposals Developing an Effective and Equitable Information Infrastructure Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing (DIAC-94) Symposium Cambridge, MA, USA April 23 - 24, 1994 The National Information Infrastructure (NII) is being proposed as the next- generation "information superhighway" for the 90's and beyond. Academia, libraries, government agencies, as well as media and telecommunication companies are involved in the current development. Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) and other organizations believe that critical issues regarding the use of the NII deserve increased public visibility and participation and is using the DIAC Symposium to help address this concern. The DIAC-94 symposium is a two-day symposium and will consist of presentations on the first day and workshops on the second day. The DIAC Symposia are held biannually and DIAC-94 will be CPSR's fifth such conference. We encourage your participation both through attending and through conducting a workshop. We are currently soliciting workshop proposals. We suggest proposals on the following themes but any topic relating to the symposium theme is welcome. Systems and Services Policy + Community networks + Funding + Information services + Role of government + Delivery of social services + Economic modeling of networks + Privacy (including medical) + Commercialization of the NII + Educational support + Universal access + Meeting diverse needs + Freedom of expression and community standards Electronic Democracy Directions and Implications + Access to information + Ubiquitous computing + Electronic town meetings + Global hypertext and multimedia + Threats to democracy + Computing in the workplace + Economic and class disparities + Computing and the environment International Issues Traditional and Virtual Communities + Language differences + MUDs + Cultural diversity + Communication ethics, values, and styles + National and international + Gender relations in cyberspace priorities + Cooperative projects + Networking for indigenous peoples Workshops will be an hour and half in length. The proposal should include title, presenter, purpose of workshop, references, and plan. Workshops should substantially involve the audience and proposals in which some group product or action plan is created are preferred. As the proposals may be collected into a book, workshop proposals should be clear and informative to people who don't participate in the workshop. Proposals are due February 15, 1994 and acceptance and rejection notices will be sent by March 15, 1994. To discuss workshops or to submit proposals for workshops contact the program chair, Doug Schuler, doug.schuler@cpsr.org. Electronic submissions are encouraged but paper versions are also acceptable (send them to CPSR/Seattle - DIAC '94 Workshop Submission, P.O. Box 85481, Seattle, WA 98145-1481). ------------------------------------------------------------- [5] New Files at the CPSR Internet Library The CPSR Internet Library is currently undergoing renovation to make it easier to use. File names are being revised, folders are being moved, and a better Gopher front-end is being designed. We apologize for any inconvenience in finding files. The Brady Bill and commentary /government_info/1993_legislation/ 1993_federal_bills/ brady_bill_and_commetary The Schengan Agreement, which calls for the elimination of border controls in the European Union while facilitating the easier transfer of information by police agencies /cpsr/privacy/privacy_international/ international_laws/schengan_agreement. Reports from CLI (Comision de Liberties y Informatica), a broad coalition in Spain created to protect citizens against misuse of computers are now being archived in the Privacy International folder: /cpsr/privacy/privacy_international/country_reports/spain. Reports will be made available in both English and Spanish. For more information on CLI, contact Rafael Calvo (rfcalvo@guest2.atimdr.es). Government Information Locator Service (GILS), Nov. 11, 1993 draft. /cpsr/government_info/info_access/govinfo_loc_service The CPSR Internet Library is a free service available via FTP/WAIS/Gopher from cpsr.org /cpsr and is also mirrored at etext.archive.umich.edu /pub/CPSR. Materials from Privacy International, the Taxpayers Assets Project and the Cypherpunks are also archived. For more information, contact Al Whaley (al@sunnyside.com) ------------------------------------------------------------- [5] Nonprofit seeks PCs The Media Access Project, a public interest litigation group in Washington, DC, is looking for the donation of a PC. The group currently uses an 8088 machine with two floppy disk drives. Anything more current would be appreciated. Also, a working dot matrix printer could be put to good use. The Media Access Project is a non-profit organization. Contribution are tax-deductible. Contact Andy Schwartzman (202/232-4300). ------------------------------------------------------------- [6] Upcoming Conferences and Events Worldwide Electronic Commerce: Law, Policy and Controls Conference. Waldorf Astoria Hotel, New York City. January 17 - 18, 1994. MultiCorp, Inc and American Bar Association. Contact: Fred Sammet (76520.3713@CompuServe.COM), Phone (214) 516-4900. Where Have the Jobs Gone? Where Will They Be? An MIT Conference on Technology and Employment. Cambridge, MA. January 21-22, 1994. Sponsored by the Technology and Culture Seminar of the MIT Community Fellows Program Contact: Patricia Weinmann, (617) 253-0108, or email paradise@mit.edu. "Highways and Toll Roads: Electronic Access in the 21st Century" Panel Discussion. 1994 AAAS Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. Feb. 21, 1994 2:30 - 5:30pm. Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Contact: Barbara Simons (simons@vnet.ibm.com). "Computers, Freedom and Privacy 94." Chicago, Il. March 23-26. Sponsored by ACM and The John Marshall Law School. Contact: George Trubow, 312-987-1445 (CFP94@jmls.edu). Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing (DIAC)-94 "Developing an Effective, Equitable, and Enlightened Information Infrastructure." Cambridge, MA. April 23 - 24, 1994. Sponsored by CPSR Contact: cwhitcomb@bentley.edu or doug.schuler@cpsr.org. Computer-Human Interaction 94. Boston, Mass. April 24-28. Sponsored by ACM 214 590-8616 or 410 269-6801 chi94office.chi@xerox.com "Navigating the Networks" 1994 Mid-Year Meeting, American Society for Information Science. Portland, Oregon. May 22 - 25, 1994. Contact: rhill@cni.org Rural Datafication II: "Meeting the Challenge of Providing Ubiquitous Access to the Internet" Minneapolis, Minnesota. May 23-24, 1994. Sponsored by CICNet & NSF. Contact: ruraldata-info-request@cic.net. Send name, mailing address and email address. "Information: Society, Superhighway or Gridlock?" Computing for the Social Sciences 1994 Conference (CSS94). University of Maryland at College Park. June 1-3, 1994. Contact: Dr. Charles Wellford 301-405-4699, fax 301-405-4733, e-mail: cwellford@bss2.umd.edu. Abstracts for papers due March 1. Contact William Sims Bainbridge (wbainbri@nsf.gov). Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computer Science. Washington, DC June 9-11. Contact: 415 617-3335, hopper-info@pa.dec.com DEF CON ][ ("underground" computer culture) "Load up your laptop muffy, we're heading to Vegas!" The Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV. July 22-24, Contact: dtangent@defcon.org. Conference on Uncertainty in AI. Seattle, WA. July 29-31. Contact: 206 936-2662 heckerma@microsoft.com. Symposium: An Arts and Humanities Policy for the National Information Infrastructure. Boston, Mass. October 14-16, 1994. Sponsored by the Center for Art Research in Boston. Contact: Jay Jaroslav (jaroslav@artdata.win.net). Third Biannual Conference on Participatory Design, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, October 27-28, 1994. Sponsored by CPSR. Contact: trigg@parc.xerox.com. Submissions due April 15, 1994. (Send calendar submissions to Alert@washofc.cpsr.org) ------------------------ END CPSR Alert 3.01 -----------------------