FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Charles Sumner September 11, 1995 Sun User Group (617) 232-0514 SUN USER GROUP CONFERENCE HELPS DEFINE CYBERCRIME Speakers from the FBI and the Electronic Frontier Foundation will be featured at the second annual "Computers & The Law" Conference, November 12-15, Tampa, Florida. This November 12 through 15, the Sun User Group will sponsor the second annual "Computers & The Law" symposium in Tampa, Florida. As computers and the Internet invade more and more corners of everyday life, the once distinct areas of technology, security, legislation, and law enforcement begin to collide -- often with disastrous results. In an effort to help members of these professions deal with a rapidly changing world, the Sun User Group founded the "Computers & The Law" conference. This year's conference is a unique forum in which members of these once diverse fields can meet to share experiences and ideas, and address the growing connections between their professions. Last year's symposium was critically acclaimed and this year's, with featured speakers from the FBI's Economic Espionage Unit and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is expected to be even more successful. "The explosive growth of cyberspace is straining the law's ability to keep up. Issues such as privacy, copyright, jurisdiction, and the liability of system administrators are currently being played out in the courtroom in uncharted territory," said Edward A. Cavazos, chair of the "Computers & The Law" legal track. The question of 'uncharted territory' is a central theme of the conference, and one which plays a pivotal role in one of the many highlights -- a debate between Michael Froomkin, of the University of Miami Law School, and Jared Silverman, former New Jersey Securities Commissioner, on whether existing laws can be applied to Cyberspace. "It's the variety of security and legal speakers, discussing complex real-world cases, that has sparked so much interest in this conference," said Charles Sumner, the Sun User Group's Director of Marketing. The keynote addresses present three very different examples of the interaction between computers and laws, from three speakers who are at the forefront of these changes. The development of computer legislation is represented in Tuesday's keynote by Mike Godwin, the Legal Counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the enforcement of those laws is addressed by Monday's keynote speaker, Ken Geide, Chief of the FBI's Economic Espionage Unit. Last, the results of crossing those legal bounds is detailed by Randall Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz, a noted UNIX consultant who was recently convicted in a landmark case brought by Intel, will discuss his experiences in Tuesday's endnote address. With the dramatic increase in the population of cyberspace and corporate America's new love affair with technology, system administrators are being confronted with many new shades of morality and ethics. "In order to thrive in today's swiftly changing world, a system administrator must be a technician, an attorney, a cop and a politician." says Alexander Newman, Executive Director of the Sun User Group. "He or she must establish and enforce fair-use policies, keep users from violating copyright laws, and deal with outside complaints about those users." The administrator must often accomplish this job with little or no knowledge of the rapidly growing web of laws surrounding the field. Cavazos, who is also co-author of "Cyberspace and the Law: Your Rights and Duties in the On-Line World" said that "This conference addresses these issues with an emphasis on making sense of a confusing and often contradictory set of precedents". What cybercrime is and how to protect yourself from it are two of the main themes of "Computers & The Law" and will be covered during a variety of talks throughout the four days. Some of the additional topics to be discussed at the symposium include: privacy, cyberporn, copyright infringement, on-line legislation, encryption, internet fraud, how to recover information if your site has been comprimised, and what to do if the government decides to investigate you. Featured instructors at "Computers & The Law" include: John C. Smith, an investigator with the High Tech Crime Unit of the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office; Peter Galvin, the security columnist for "SunWorld On-line"; Lee Hollander, Florida's State Attorney; Bob Friel of the Electronic Crimes Branch of the U.S. Secret Service; and Richard Ress of the FBI Computer Crime Squad in addition to many other technical and legal speakers. "Computers & The Law", November 12-15, 1995, will be held at the Camberley Plaza, Sabal Park in Tampa, Florida, and features two days of talks and panels and two days of workshops. It will draw speakers and attendees from all over the world. The symposium is sponsored by the Sun User Group, an international, not-for-profit technical and professional association which serves the workstation industry. To register, or for more information on the conference or the Sun User Group, contact the Sun User Group via email at conference@sug.org, on the World Wide Web Page at http://sug.org, or by calling 617/232-0514. # # # ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Charles Sumner | Now some people say that you shouldn't tempt fate Director of Sales | and for them I would not disagree. Sun Users Group | But I never learned nothing from playing it safe, e: sumner@sug.org | I say fate should not tempt me. v: 617/232-0514 | "I Take My Chances" - Mary Chapin Carpenter ----------------------------------------------------------------------