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- Computer underground Digest Wed July 7 1993 Volume 5 : Issue 50
- ISSN 1004-042X
-
- Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
- Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
- Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
- Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
- Ian Dickinson
- Copy Editor: Etaoin Shrdlu, Seniur
-
- CONTENTS, #5.50 (July 7 1993)
- File 1--New information on Public Key Patents
- File 2--Galactic Hacker Party, '93
- File 3--On-Line Congressional Hearing
- File 4--Hacker Listens to Secretary's Aides
- File 5--Virtually no Reality in "Virtual Reality"
- File 6--Donation Distinctions (By E-Zine Editors/Moderators)
-
- Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
- available at no cost electronically from tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu. The
- editors may be contacted by voice (815-753-6430), fax (815-753-6302)
- or U.S. mail at: Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
- 60115.
-
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- the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
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- COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
- information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
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-
- DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
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-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1993 17:59:54 -0800 (PDT)
- From: ygoland@HURRICANE.SEAS.UCLA.EDU
- Subject: File 1--New information on Public Key Patents
-
- Date--Mon, 28 Jun 93 17:25:32 edt
- From--friedman@gnu.ai.mit.edu (Noah Friedman)
- Subject--Digital Signature Scandal
-
- [The following is an official announcement from the League for
- Programming Freedom. Please redistribute this as widely as possible.]
-
- Digital Signature Scandal
-
- Digital signature is a technique whereby one person (call her J. R.
- Gensym) can produce a specially encrypted number which anyone can
- verify could only have been produced by her. (Typically a particular
- signature number encodes additional information such as a
- date and time or a legal document being signed.) Anyone can decrypt
- the number because that can be done with information that is
- published; but producing such a number uses a "key" (a password) that
- J. R. Gensym does not tell to anyone else.
-
- Several years ago, Congress directed the NIST (National Institute of
- Standards and Technology, formerly the National Bureau of Standards)
- to choose a single digital signature algorithm as a standard for the
- US.
-
- In 1992, two algorithms were under consideration. One had been
- developed by NIST with advice from the NSA (National Security Agency),
- which engages in electronic spying and decoding. There was widespread
- suspicion that this algorithm had been designed to facilitate some
- sort of trickery.
-
- The fact that NIST had applied for a patent on this algorithm
- engendered additional suspicion; despite their assurances that this
- would not be used to interfere with use of the technique, people could
- imagine no harmless motive for patenting it.
-
- The other algorithm was proposed by a company called PKP, Inc., which
- not coincidentally has patents covering its use. This alternative had
- a disadvantage that was not just speculation: if this algorithm were
- adopted as the standard, everyone using the standard would have to pay
- PKP.
-
- (The same patents cover the broader field of public key cryptography,
- a technique whose use in the US has been mostly inhibited for a decade
- by PKP's assiduous enforcement of these patents. The patents were
- licensed exclusively to PKP by the Massachusetts Institute of
- Technology and Stanford University, and derive from taxpayer-funded
- research.)
-
- PKP, Inc. made much of the suspect nature of the NIST algorithm and
- portrayed itself as warning the public about this.
-
- On June 8, NIST published a new plan which combines the worst of both
- worlds: to adopt the suspect NIST algorithm, and give PKP, Inc. an
- *exclusive* license to the patent for it. This plan places digital
- signature use under the control of PKP through the year 2010.
-
- By agreeing to this arrangement, PKP, Inc. shows that its concern to
- protect the public from possible trickery was a sham. Its real desire
- was, as one might have guessed, to own an official national standard.
- Meanwhile, NIST has justified past suspicion about its patent
- application by proposing to give that patent (in effect) to a private
- entity.
-
- Instead of making a gift to PKP, Inc., of the work all of us have paid
- for, NIST and Congress ought to protect our access to it--by pursuing
- all possible means, judicial and legislative, to invalidate or annul
- the PKP patents. If that fails, even taking them by eminent domain is
- better (and cheaper in the long run!) than the current plan.
-
- You can write to NIST to object to this giveaway. Write to:
-
- Michael R. Rubin
- Active Chief Counsel for Technology
- Room A-1111, Administration Building,
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
- Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899
- (301) 975-2803.
-
- The deadline for arrival of letters is around August 4.
-
- Please send a copy of your letter to:
-
- League for Programming Freedom
- 1 Kendall Square #143
- P.O.Box 9171
- Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
-
- (The League for Programming Freedom is an organization which defends
- the freedom to write software, and opposes monopolies such as patented
- algorithms and copyrighted languages. It advocates returning to the
- former legal system under which if you write the program, you are free
- to use it. Please write to the League if you want more information.)
-
- Sending copies to the League will enable us to show them to elected
- officials if that is useful.
-
- This text was transcribed from a fax and may have transcription
- errors. We believe the text to be correct but some of the numbers
- may be incorrect or incomplete.
-
- +++++++++
-
- ** The following notice was published in the Federal Register, Vol.
- 58, No. 108, dated June 8, 1993 under Notices **
-
- National Institute of Standards and Technology
-
- Notice of Proposal for Grant of Exclusive Patent License
-
- This is to notify the public that the National Institute of
- Standards and Technology (NIST) intends to grant an exclusive
- world-wide license to Public Key Partners of Sunnyvale, California
- to practice the Invention embodied in U.S. Patent Application No.
- 07/738.431 and entitled "Digital Signature Algorithm." A PCT
- application has been filed. The rights in the invention have been
- assigned to the United States of America.
-
- The prospective license is a cross-license which would resolve a
- patent dispute with Public Key Partners and includes the right to
- sublicense. Notice of availability of this invention for licensing
- was waived because it was determined that expeditious granting of
- such license will best serve the interest of the Federal Government
- and the public. Public Key Partners has provided NIST with the
- materials contained in Appendix A as part of their proposal to
- NIST.
-
- Inquiries, comments, and other materials relating to the prospec-
- tive license shall be submitted to Michael R. Rubin, Active Chief
- Counsel for Technology, Room A-1111, Administration Building,
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg,
- Maryland 20899. His telephone number is (301) 975-2803. Applica-
- tions for a license filed in response to this notice will be
- treated as objections to the grant of the prospective license.
- Only written comments and/or applications for a license which are
- received by NIST within sixty (60) days for the publication of this
- notice will be considered.
-
- The prospective license will be granted unless, within sixty (60)
- days of this notice, NIST receives written evidence and argument
- which established that the grant of the license would not be
- consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7.
-
- Dated: June 2, 1993.
-
- Raymond G. Kammer
- Acting Director, National Institute Standards and Technology.
-
- Appendix "A"
-
- The National Institute for Standards and Technology ("NIST") has
- announced its intention to grant Public Key Partners ("PKP")
- sublicensing rights to NIST's pending patent application on the
- Digital Signature Algorithm ("DSA").
-
- Subject to NIST's grant of this license, PKP is pleased to declare
- its support for the proposed Federal Information Processing
- Standard for Digital Signatures (the "DSS") and the pending
- availability of licenses to practice the DSA. In addition to the
- DSA, licenses to practice digital signatures will be offered by PKP
- under the following patents:
-
- Cryptographic Apparatus and Method ("Diffie-Hellman")
- No. 4,200,770
- Public Key Cryptographic Apparatus and Method
- ("Hellman-Merkle") No. 4,315,552
- Exponential Cryptographic Apparatus and Method
- ("Hellman-Pohlig") No. 4,434,414
- Method For Identifying Subscribers And For Generating
- And Verifying Electronic Signatures In A Data Exchange
- System ("Schnorr") No. 4,995,082
-
- It is PKP's intent to make practice of the DSA royalty free for
- personal, noncommercial and U.S. Federal, state and local
- government use. As explained below, only those parties who enjoy
- commercial benefit from making or selling products, or certifying
- digital signatures, will be required to pay royalties to practice
- the DSA.
-
- PKP will also grant a license to practice key management, at no
- additional fee, for the integrated circuits which will implement
- both the DSA and the anticipated Federal Information Processing
- Standard for the "key escrow" system announced by President Clinton
- on April 16, 1993.
-
- Having stated these intentions, PKP now takes this opportunity to
- publish its guidelines for granting uniform licenses to all parties
- having a commercial interest in practicing this technology:
-
- First, no party will be denied a license for any reason other that
- the following:
-
- (i) Failure to meet its payment obligations,
- (ii) Outstanding claims of infringement, or
- (iii) Previous termination due to material breach.
-
- Second, licenses will be granted for any embodiment sold by the
- licensee or made for its use, whether for final products software,
- or components such as integrated circuits and boards, and regard-
- less of the licensee's channel of distribution. Provided the
- requisite royalties have been paid by the seller on the enabling
- component(s), no further royalties will be owned by the buyer for
- making or selling the final product which incorporates such
- components.
-
- Third, the practice of digital signatures in accordance with the
- DSS may be licensed separately from any other technical art covered
- by PKP's patents.
-
- Fourth, PKP's royalty rates for the right to make or sell products,
- subject to uniform minimum fees, will be no more than 2 1/2% for
- hardware products and 5% for software, with the royalty rate
- further declining to 1% on any portion of the product price
- exceeding $1,000. These royalty rates apply only to noninfringing
- parties and will be uniform without regard to whether the licensed
- product creates digital signatures, verifies digital signatures or
- performs both.
-
- Fifth, for the next three (3) years, all commercial services which
- certify a signature's authenticity for a fee may be operated
- royalty free. Thereafter, all providers of such commercial
- certification services shall pay a royalty to PKP of $1.00 per
- certificate for each year the certificate is valid.
-
- Sixth, provided the foregoing royalties are paid on such products
- or services, all other practice of the DSA shall be royalty free.
-
- Seventh, PKP invites all of its existing licensees, at their
- option, to exchange their current licenses for the standard license
- offered for DSA.
-
- Finally, PKP will mediate the concerns of any party regarding the
- availability of PKP's licenses for the DSA with designated
- representatives of NIST and PKP. For copies of PKP's license
- terms, contact Michael R. Rubin, Acting Chief Counsel for Technolo-
- gy, NIST, or Public Key Partners.
-
- Dated: June 2, 1993.
-
- Robert B. Fougner, Esq.,
- Director of Licensing, Public Key Partners,
- 310 North Mary Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94033
-
- [FR Doc. 93-13473 Filed 8-7-93; 8:45 am]
-
- +++++++++++++++
- Forwarded by:
- ++++
- Jim Gillogly
- Trewesday, 21 Forelithe S.R. 1993, 20:56
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1993 18:22:31 (EDT)
- From: Crypt Newsletter <70743.1711@COMPUSERVE.COM>
- Subject: File 2--Galactic Hacker Party, '93
-
- Remember the Galactic Hacker Party back in 1989? Ever wonder what
- happened to the people behind it? We sold out to big business, you
- think. Think again, we're back!
-
- That's right. On august 4th, 5th and 6th 1993, we're organising a
- three-day summer congress for hackers, phone phreaks, programmers,
- computer haters, data travellers, electro-wizards, networkers,
- hardware freaks, techno-anarchists, communications junkies,
- cyberpunks, system managers, stupid users, paranoid androids, Unix
- gurus, whizz kids, warez dudes, law enforcement officers (appropriate
- undercover dress required), guerilla heating engineers and other
- assorted bald, long-haired and/or unshaven scum. And all this in the
- middle of nowhere (well, the middle of Holland, actually, but that's
- the same thing) at the Larserbos campground four metres below sea
- level.
-
- The three days will be filled with lectures, discussions and workshops
- on hacking, phreaking, people's networks, Unix security risks, virtual
- reality, semafun, social engineering, magstrips, lockpicking, viruses,
- paranoia, legal sanctions against hacking in Holland and elsewhere and
- much, much more. English will be the lingua franca for this event,
- although some workshops may take place in Dutch. There will be an
- Internet connection, an internet ethernet and social interaction
- (both electronic and live). Included in the price are four nights in
- your own tent. Also included are inspiration, transpiration, a
- shortage of showers (but a lake to swim in), good weather (guaranteed
- by god), campfires and plenty of wide open space and fresh air. All of
- this for only 100 dutch guilders (currently around US$70).
-
- We will also arrange for the availability of food, drink and smokes of
- assorted types, but this is not included in the price. Our bar will be
- open 24 hours a day, as well as a guarded depository for valuables
- (like laptops, cameras etc.). You may even get your stuff back! For
- people with no tent or air mattress: you can buy a tent through us for
- 100 guilders, a mattress costs 10 guilders. You can arrive from 17:00
- (that's five p.m. for analogue types) on August 3rd. We don't have to
- vacate the premises until 12:00 noon on Saturday, August 7 so you can
- even try to sleep through the devastating Party at the End of Time
- (PET) on the closing night (live music provided). We will arrange for
- shuttle buses to and from train stations in the vicinity.
-
- H O W ?
-
- ++++
-
- Payment: In advance only. Even poor techno-freaks like us would like
- to get to the Bahamas at least once, and if enough cash comes in we
- may just decide to go. So pay today, or tomorrow, or yesterday, or in
- any case before Friday, June 25th 1993. Since the banks still haven't
- figured out why the Any key doesn't work for private international
- money transfers, you should call, fax or e-mail us for the best way to
- launder your currency into our account. We accept American Express,
- even if they do not accept us. But we are more understanding than they
- are. Foreign cheques go directly into the toilet paper recycling bin
- for the summer camp, which is about all they're good for here.
-
- H A !
-
- +++++
-
- Very Important: Bring many guitars and laptops.
-
- M E ?
-
- +++++
-
- Yes, you! Busloads of alternative techno-freaks fromanet will descend
- on this event. You wouldn't want to miss that, now, would you?
-
- Maybe you are part of that select group that has something special to
- offer! Participating in 'Hacking at the End of the Universe' is
- exciting, but organising your very own part of it is even more fun. We
- already have a load of interesting workshops and lectures scheduled,
- but we're always on the lookout for more. We're also still in the
- market for people who want to help us organize this during the
- congress. In whatever way you wish to participate, call, write,
- e-mail or fax us soon, and make sure your money gets here on time.
- Space is limited.
-
- S O :
-
- +++++
-
- > 4th, 5th and 6th of August
- > Hacking at the En (a hacker summer congress)
-
- > ANWB groepsterrein Larserbos
- (Flevopolder, Netherlands)
-
- > Cost: fl. 100,- (+/- 70 US$) per person
-
- (including 4 nights in your own tent)
-
- M O R E I N F O :
-
- ++++++++++++++++++++++++
-
- Hack-Tic
- Postbus 22953
- 1100 DL Amst Netherlands
- tel : +31 20 6001480
- fax : +31 20 6900968
- E-mail : heu@hacktic.nl
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1993 16:25:47 CDT
- From: Jim Milles <MILLESJG@SLUVCA.SLU.EDU>
- Subject: File 3--On-Line Congressional Hearing
-
- Forwarded by Gleason Sackman, net-happenings moderator
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- ++++++++++ Text of forwarded message ++++++++++
- Date--Mon, 5 Jul 93 14:28:25 -0400
- From--hearing-info@trystero.malamud.com
- To--com-priv@psi.com
- Subject--On-Line Congressional Hearing
-
- Station--Internet Multicasting Service
- Channel--Internet Town Hall
- Program--On-Line Congressional Hearing
- Release--July 5, 1993
- Content--First Announcement/On-Line Congressional Hearing
-
- On July 26 at 9:30AM EDT, the Subcommittee on Telecommunications
- and Finance of the U.S. House of Representatives will hold the first
- Congressional Hearing ever held over a computer network. The oversight
- hearing on "The Role of Government in Cyberspace" will take place in
- the Grand Ballroom of the National Press Club at 14th and F Streets,
- N.W., Washington, D.C. The hearing is open to the public. An open
- house will be held from 3-5PM on the same day in the same location and
- is also open to the public.
-
- Chairman Markey has asked that this historic occasion demonstrate
- the potential and diversity of the global Internet. Thirty Sparcstations
- will be in the hearing room, allowing members of Congress, staff, and
- their guests to read e-mail, use Gopher menus, read testimony in WAIS
- databases, browse the World Wide Web, and otherwise use the resources
- of the global Internet as part of the hearing.
-
- Some witnesses for the hearing will testify remotely, sending audio
- and video over the Internet. Audio and video of the hearing will also
- be multicast over the Multicast Backbone (MBONE). We are hoping that
- C-SPAN and other traditional media will also carry the event. *MORE
- DETAILS ON MBONE AND OTHER WAYS TO WATCH THE HEARINGS REMOTELY WILL BE
- FORTHCOMING SHORTLY.*
-
- One of the primary points that we are hoping to demonstrate is
- the diversity and size of the Internet. We have therefore established
- an electronic mail address by which people on the Internet can communicate
- with the Subcommittee before and during the hearing:
-
- congress@town.hall.org
-
- We encourage you to send your comments on what the role of government
- should be in the information age to this address. Your comments to this
- address will be made part of the public record of the hearing. Feel free
- to carry on a dialogue with others on a mailing list, cc'ing the e-mail
- address.
-
- Your cards and letters to congress@town.hall.org will help
- demonstrate that there are people who use the Internet as part of their
- personal and professional lives. We encourage you to send comments on
- the role of government in cyberspace, on what role cyberspace should play
- in government (e.g., whether government data be made available on the
- Internet), on how the Internet should be built and financed, on how you
- use the Internet, and on any other topic you feel is appropriate. This
- is your chance to show the U.S. Congress that there is a constituency
- that cares about this global infrastructure.
-
- If you would like to communicate with a human being about the
- hearing, you may send your comments and questions to:
-
- hearing-info@town.hall.org
-
- Support for the Internet Town Hall is provided by Sun Microsystems
- and O'Reilly & Associates. Additional support for the July 26 on-line
- congressional hearing is being provided by ARPA, BBN Communications,
- the National Press Club, Xerox PARC, and many other organizations.
-
- Network connectivity for the Internet Town Hall is provided by
- UUNET Technologies.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- From: adunkin@SDF.LONESTAR.ORG(Alan Dunkin)
- Subject: File 4--Hacker Listens to Secretary's Aides
- Date: Sat, 3 Jul 93 14:59:35 CDT
-
- TELEPHONE HACKER LISTENS TO SECRETARY OF STATE'S AIDES
-
-
- This morning (July 2nd, 1993) the _Dallas Morning News_
- reiterated a _Business Week_ report dated Thursday that "an
- electronic hacker eavesdropped on telephone conversations of
- aides to Secretary of State Warren Christopher concerning
- Sunday's missile attack on Baghdad, Iraq".
-
- The magazine claimed it received a tape of calls by aides on
- Saturday, before President Clinton's announcement of the
- cruise missile attack.
-
- The state department said no comment was to be made about any
- private conversations.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Wed, 23 Jun 1993 18:22:31 (EDT)
- From: Crypt Newsletter <70743.1711@COMPUSERVE.COM>
- Subject: File 5--Virtually no Reality in "Virtual Reality"
-
- ((MODERATORS' NOTE: The following is reprinted from CRYPT NEWSLETTER
- #15. We're waiting for the "Virtual Reality" comic books, perhaps
- patterned after the mercifully defunct "Hacker Chronicles," and the
- Saturday morning cartoon series brought to the kiddies by some frosted
- cereal)).
-
- "Virtual reality. What a concept." Yup, we kid you not - that's the
- lead to the June Popular Science's cover story on the buzz-concept of
- 1993. But what concept does the story deliver? None, except more
- phlogiston and shopworn photos on Virtuality's Dactyl Nightmare game -
- the same press-release photos and animations that, uh, you've already
- read in TIME, OMNI, MONDO 2000, OMNI, WIRED, MONDO 2000, NEWSWEEK,
- TIME and POPULAR SCIENCE. Is there an echo in here? And THEN
- reporter Michael Antonoff burbles about the exciting new SEGA "virtual
- reality" helmet which is about to pop off the assembly line. It will
- replace the TV with the usual goofy-looking, Nazi-helmet which the
- company brags, will deliver a "feeling of total immersion in a
- completely realistic 360-degree game world." That's if you consider
- SEGA games realistic, of course.
-
- Next comes the Virtual Kitchen, we are told. Why, you'll even be able
- to turn on the faucet and listen to running water. Wow. We're really
- pushing the boundaries of science, now. And there's virtual skiing as
- a possibility, writes Antonoff. You won't really learn how to ski, but
- it will be fun.
-
- The story wraps up with 30 socko column inches on the usual wild
- speculation on "Virtual Reality" applications in everything from
- medicine to alchemy. Much of this talk is reminiscent of the inflated
- claims which surrounded the science of molecular genetics in the
- mid-'80's and persists to this day. Molecular biology was going to
- cure cancer, eliminate viral and inherited illness and provide
- everything from miracle drugs to custom-made enzymes which would
- eliminate the threat of oil spills while replacing The Hair Club for
- Men.
-
- It was bullshit then and it's bullshit now. The theories are nice, but
- nature doesn't yield her secrets easily just because
- science/entertainment reporters have decided to be flacks for newly
- minted professaurus's seeking tenure and grant money.
-
- Of course, molecular biology HAS provided a key to understanding
- cellular mechanisms at a very low level. However, it hasn't set the
- world on edge. Despite superhuman effort, diseases like malaria,
- although well understood, aren't playing dead.
-
- And we suspect, so it will be with "virtual reality." A lot of idiots
- will throw a ton of money at it and they'll get what they already
- have: games and sex toys.
-
- Even the tabloid TV journalists of the salacious "Hard Copy" sneered
- at the "Virtual Reality" mavens on a recent evening segment. A couple
- of women, whose names we forget, bleated on about "virtual sex" and
- wound up showing Darth Vader-style helmets, rushes from "The Lawnmower
- Man" and the kind of animations which tipped over Max Speegle's apple
- cart. Crypt editors couldn't help jeering along with the "Hard Copy"
- anchormen at the oh-so-novel idea of attaching "data gloves" to the
- schlong. (Actually, such tools have been around for a long time. You
- find them listed under "Penisator" in magazines published by Larry
- Flynt.)
-
- Indeed, if you think a minute you realize there is no such thing as
- "virtual sex". It's like being "slightly pregnant." Or having a
- "minor" case of gonorrhea. You either have sex with another person,
- skin to skin, or you don't. "Virtual sex" is just another fluffy,
- meaningless euphemism for computerized team masturbation. The Crypt
- Newsletter supports the use of "virtual hooker" or "virtual love
- automaton" if you must have jargon; the latter is better, particularly
- if you're in need of some reassuring corporate-mumble for conning a
- roomful of investment bankers. The mind reels at the possibilities.
- Imagine the Michelangelo virus, or some descendant of it, activating
- on Ted and Alice's Virtual Sex PC, crashing the system and causing a
- "virtual" convulsion in their "data gloves" just as they're booting up
- for some afternoon delight. Ouch. Lawsuit. So the next time someone
- mentions the word "virtual" to you in dinner conversation, gracefully
- dump your side-plate of collard greens into their lap.
-
- And, lo, just as this issue of the Crypt Newsletter went to the
- electronic press Newsweek magazine trumped Popular Science with a
- cover story on "interactive" - that curious admixture of virtual
- reality, information superhighways and CD-ROM squeaking/talking books.
- "Virtual reality," claimed the magazine, ". . . with a mighty computer
- and New Age goggles . . . you'll eventually be able to simulate sex,
- drugs, rock and roll and just about every other human activity." Even
- sicking up on your date after a night of too many Long Island Iced
- Teas?
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 1 Jul 93 14:49 PDT
- From: john@ZYGOT.ATI.COM(John Higdon)
- Subject: File 6--Donation Distinctions (By E-Zine Editors/Moderators)
-
- ((MODERATORS' NOTE: John Higdon's post raises important issues
- involving the status of moderators of digests. His comments focus on
- the recent *FALSE* rumors announcing the elimination of CuD from one
- of the ftp sites and the the difference between solicitation of funds
- to maintain an organization and solicitation of funds by private
- individuals who may need external support to enable them to eke out a
- living while moderating digests.
-
- Editors of electronic journals/digest are in an odd position. Unlike
- organizations, they have no formal constituency that they represent.
- Therefore, collecting "dues," "subscription fees," or other
- compensation seems tacky. On the other hand, editing a journal such as
- Telecom Digest (or CuD), which comes out several times a week,
- requires a considerable investment of time and resources. Hard-copy
- editors receive a living wage for their efforts. E-zine editors
- generally perform the same tasks, reach a larger audience, and require
- capital investment of equipment for which they receive no
- compensation. Some electronic publishers are fortunate enough to be
- tenured professors at a state university. This allows them to pursue
- editorship as part of their "service." Others are not so fortunate.
- Editing or moderating an electronic publication dramatically eats into
- time that might otherwise be spent pursuing their livelihood.
- Organizations, such as CPSR or EFF, have paid staff whose duties
- include dissemination of newsletters or digests. Most other digests
- do not.
-
- How should e-Zine editors be compensated (if at all)? Is it proper for
- editors to ask for compensation for efforts that are materially (and
- substantially) rewarded in other forums? Should editors/moderators of
- forums such as RISKS or TELECOM DIGEST receive compensation?
-
- For now, we only raise the question without laying out the arguments.
- At issue here is where altruism ends and reasonable compensation
- begins. We would like to here from others: Should moderators/editors
- request "donations?"
-
- We must note that CuD editors have no material stake in the outcome of
- such a discussion, because we are disallowed from receiving any form
- of remuneration. However, we are well aware of the investment of time
- and other resources that moderators and editor contribute, and we feel
- that some discussion of of the issues are necessary.))
-
- +++
-
- The following remarks concern issues and fact that should be obvious to
- everyone, but need to be said in the absence of comment by others.
-
- Recently, there was a rumor that the EFF was dumping its archives of
- CuD. The Telecom Digest moderator grabbed this opportunity to deliver
- yet another diatribe condemning those who support the EFF and its work,
- and casting aspersions on the motives behind the policies and practices
- of the EFF itself. Further, he complained that there seemed to be a
- dual standard when it came to the practices of the EFF and its fund
- raising vs the Digest and the moderator's attempt to drum up cash.
-
- Note: The rumor was a gross distortion in that it was indeed Phrack
- that was offloaded to another site for reasons most aptly cited by
- Mitch Kapor himself.
-
- The overriding consideration is that the EFF is not in any way to be
- compared with Telecom Digest. Leaving the legal definitions aside, the
- EFF is an organization, staffed with experts and support personnel,
- that has taken on the responsibility of observing, guiding, and even
- changing laws that affect everyone in the telecommunications and
- computing industry. It supports a paid staff, offices, communications
- facilities, and has as its output legal consultations, legal
- presentations, legislative commentary (formal and informal), and
- provides invaluable assistance to those caught in the vacuum of
- cyberspace non-protections. The organization maintains its own Internet
- site with the attendant costs, issues hard publications and has,
- incidental to its divergent operations, a newsletter (or digest if you
- will).
-
- The Telecom Digest is a mailing list. It is maintained on facilities
- provided and paid for by a university. The moderator spends time
- editing and transmitting issues of the Digest (a job done voluntarily
- by moderators all over the Internet world). The Digest is the only
- output. The $195/month office is strictly an option, as most mailing
- lists are edited by people from their job worksites or their homes. The
- same goes for the telephone expenses.
-
- These comments are not to be construed to in any way minimize the work
- done by the moderator of Telecom Digest (or any other moderator). But
- there is hardly any comparison between the work done by an organization
- such as the EFF and that done by the moderator of a mailing list. It is
- obvious that there is also a difference between the request for funds
- by a fully-qualified activist organization and someone who needs money
- to pay the rent. Not everyone agrees with the positions taken by the
- EFF or any other activist group and it is certainly anyone's right to
- contribute to those with whom he agrees. But be it the EFF or the NRA,
- the output of bonafide organizations on behalf of members and those
- whose interests fall within an organization's scope of activity is
- substantially more significant and appropriate to the consumption of
- donated money than that of a simple e-publication, regardless of how
- well it is produced.
-
- I subscribe to many, many mailing lists and have done so for many
- years. At no time has anyone who was in charge of any of them (except
- one) suggested that funds were needed to keep the list going. Neither
- direct contributions nor suggestions to buy resold products have been
- mentioned in any way, with that one exception.
-
- Whether it is appropriate for a moderator to solicit funds in this
- manner I leave for others to debate. But to compare those solicitations
- to those of an organization with the prestige and stature of the EFF is
- most inappropriate by any standard of consideration. It seems obvious
- that it is much more useful and more within the purposes of the net to
- contribute money so that important cases get a fairer hearing rather
- than so that a mailing list coordinator can be saved the inconvenience of
- going out and getting a real job. If the powers that be determine that
- the latter is within the scope of the intent of the Internet, then I
- bow to that determination.
-
- But let us all be clear on the important distinctions between mailing
- lists and hard-working activist organizations.
-
- ++
- John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 | FAX:
- john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407
-
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- End of Computer Underground Digest #5.50
-