Date: Thu, 3 Feb 1994 08:55:27 -0800 Subject: CPSR Alert 3.02 CPSR Alert 3.02 ============================================================== @@@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@ @ @@@ @@@@@ @ @@@ @@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @ @@@ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @ @ @ ============================================================= Volume 3.02 Feburary 3, 1994 ------------------------------------------------------------- Published by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Washington Office (Alert@washofc.cpsr.org) ------------------------------------------------------------- Contents [1] Crypto Experts, Net Citizens Speak Out Against Clipper [2] California Legislative Database Goes Online [3] AAAS Scientists and Human Rights Listserv [4] RFD for CPSR Newsgroups [5] Listserv Moves to CPSR.ORG [6] DIAC Call for Papers [7] New Files at the CPSR Internet Library [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events ------------------------------------------------------------- [1] Crypto Experts, Net Citizens Speak Out Against Clipper On January 24, many of the nation's top experts on cryptography, computer security, networks, privacy and civil liberties sent a letter to President Clinton urging that he withdraw the Clipper Chip proposal. The list included Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, Ralph Merkle, Ron Rivest, George Davida, Peter Neumann and David Chaum. Many other people expressed an interest in signing on. In response, CPSR has set up an electronic petition drive to ask the President to withdraw the proposal. Within days, thousands of people have already signed on. Copies of the electronic petition will be delivered to President Clinton and Vice-President Gore at the end of the drive. To sign the petition, send the text "I oppose clipper" (no quotes) in the first line of a message to clipper.petition@cpsr.org ------------------------------------------------------------- [2] California Legislative Database Goes Online The California Legislature now has an archive of legislative material available via Anonymous FTP and listserv on the Internet. Included in the database is the California Constitution, California law, and pending bills in the Assembly and Senate. The archive was created after online activists led by Jim Warren, a CPSR member and columnist at Micro Times led a campaign on the Internet to pass AB1624. (see CPSR Alert 2.01, Sept 10, 1993). The archive is available at leginfo.public.ca.gov A free Gopher server of the information is also available from svpal.org ------------------------------------------------------------- [3] AAAS Scientists and Human Rights Listserv ACT ON HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS! ASSIST PERSECUTED SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD! By becoming a non-paying subscriber to the American Association for the Advancement of Science Human Rights Action Network (AASHRAN) you will receive (about once a week), via E-Mail, information on current cases of human rights concern of special interest to the scientific community so that you can become part of letter writing and public awareness campaigns on behalf of persecuted scientists. Examples of recent cases include: o mass dismissals of professors in the physical sciences in Cuba for circulating a petition seeking greater academic and political freedom; o dismissals of environmental scientists and the closing of an environmental research center in Mexico to curtail criticism of environmental problems during debate on the North American Free Trade Agreement; and o misuse of science by Iraq in the damming of rivers to dry up vast areas of wetlands and force the death or emigration of their March Arab population. You can join the network and receive more detailed information on how it works by sending the message: SUBSCRIBE AAASHRAN FIRSTNAME LASTNAME to the E-Mail address LISTSERV@GWUVM.GWU.EDU on the Internet. Additional information also can be obtained from Morton Sklar at the AAAS Science and Human Rights Program, 1333 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20005; tele: (202) 326-6799; E-Mail: MSKLAR@AAAS.ORG on Internet; or fax: (202) 289-4950. ------------------------------------------------------------- [4] Call for Discussion on CPSR Newsgroups CPSR has submitted a Request for Discussion (RFD) to create two new USENET newsgroups: comp.org.cpsr.news and comp.org.cpsr.talk. Comp.org.cpsr.news will be a reflection of the cpsr-announce mailing list. It will be moderated and only carry 1-2 messages per week including the CPSR Alert and other official CPSR releases, and announcements of relevant conferences. Comp.org.cpsr.talk will be an unmoderated discussion group. Topics will include privacy, the NII, working in the computer industry, and other areas of interest to CPSR members. Formal discussion on the newsgroups is taking place in news.groups. If you have any substantive comments, you may post them there or by e-mail to either news-groups@cs.utexas.edu or news.groups.usenet@decwrl.dec.com. If you just wish to express support for the new groups, please hold off until the voting begins in about one month. ------------------------------------------------------------- [5] CPSR Listserv Moves to cpsr.org The main CPSR List has now moved from its former home at gwuvm.gwu.edu to cpsr.org. If you were already subscribed, you do not need to resubscribe. The new address is cpsr-announce@cpsr.org. To subscribe, e-mail listserv@cpsr.org with the command "subscribe cpsr-announce " (no quotes for brackets). ------------------------------------------------------------- [6] 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 are using the DIAC Symposium to help address this concern. The DIAC-94 symposium is a two-day event 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 (including rural) 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, obtain a submission guide, 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). Sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsbility Co-sponsored by the Internet Society and the MIT Communications Forum. Other co-sponsors are being sought. Please contact us if your organization would like to help with this event. For more information on co-sponsorship or on general issues, contact conference chair, Coralee Whitcomb, cwhitcom@bentley.edu. ------------------------------------------------------------- [7] 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 Interim Review of Skipkack by Dr. Dorothy Denning et. al - /cpsr/privacy/crypto/clipper/skipjack_interim_report.txt The CPSR Internet Library is a free service available via FTP/WAIS/Gopher/listserv from cpsr.org:/cpsr. Materials from Privacy International, the Taxpayers Assets Project and the Cypherpunks are also archived. For more information, contact ftp-admin@cpsr.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------- [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events New Media World Symposium: A Panel and Exhibition on Interactive Television & The New Media. McKenna Theater, SFSU. February 5, 10 am - 4 pm. Contact: New Media Center, 415-455-8523 .. "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. Contact: 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 e-mail 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 3.02 -----------------------