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- Computer underground Digest Wed Aug 24, 1994 Volume 6 : Issue 76
- ISSN 1004-042X
-
- Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
- Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
- Retiring Shadow Archivist: Stanton McCandlish
- Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
- Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
- Ian Dickinson
- Copylate Editor: John Holmes Shrudlu
-
- CONTENTS, #6.76 (Wed, Aug 24, 1994)
-
- File 1--ACTION ALERT! PTO Commission Lehman's Intell. Property report
- File 2--Good, bad, ugly, confused, and wary
- File 3--EFF - "This bill will pass" - Telecom reg - WATCH OUT ISPs!
- File 4--Congressional Committee on the Net (fwd)
- File 5-- Clinton's Crime Bill - new threat to Sysops? (fwd)
- File 6--EPIC Statement on FBI Wiretap Bill
- File 7--Updates on 12-ICPR, Jerusalem
- File 8--Fourth International Virus Bulletin Conference
- File 9--The CuD Header now Appears at the END OF EACH ISSUE
- File 10--Cu Digest Header Information (unchanged)
-
- CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION APPEARS IN
- THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Sat, 20 Aug 1994 15:48:13 -0700
- From: Jim Warren <jwarren@WELL.SF.CA.US>
- Subject: File 1--ACTION ALERT! PTO Commission Lehman's Intell. Property report
-
- Hi all -- [blind cc'ed to numerous folks]
-
- Just spotted this in Dave Farber's interesting-people msgs.
-
- Personally, I think that Lehman and the PTO is permanently-entrenched in
- offering nothing better than band-aids to protect the past. I think that
- the *only* chance we have for a more-enlightened approach to freedom
- versus software monopolies is massive, virulent [articulate] *torching*
- of our Congress-creatures. (At the least, it will force the monopolists
- to spend much more loot bribing friendly votes from the representatives
- they are buying.)
-
- Like always, freedom requires vigilence AND action.
-
- --jim
- Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc.
- jwarren@well.com -or- jwarren@autodesk.com
- 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/415-851-2814
-
- ===re===
-
- From farber@eff.org Tue Aug 16 04:56:33 1994
- From: mkj@world.std.com (Mahatma Kane-Jeeves)
-
- Has anyone here seen the so-called Lehman Panel report? It is
- available by ftp from ftp.uspto.gov, in the directory /pub/nii-ip. It
- is offered there in several formats. The deadline for comments is
- September 7th. (Sorry about the short notice, but I've only just
- recently discovered the report myself.)
-
- The Lehman Panel is more officially known as the "Working Group on
- Intellectual Property Rights", a subcommittee of President Clinton's
- "Information Infrastructure Task Force". The Lehman Panel report
- makes a number of recommendations concerning changes to current
- intellectual property law, in light of challenges presented by the
- National Information Infrastructure (NII) project.
-
- This appears to me to be quite an important report, which could play a
- major role in shaping vital aspects of our near-future society. I
- find the whole approach taken by the panel disturbing, though perhaps
- not surprising. Very briefly, my general concerns are these:
-
- There appears to be a natural tension between current intellectual
- property law and the widespread deployment of computer networking.
- (John Barlow has put it more simply: "Copyright is dead".) The Lehman
- panel's report, rather than trying to accomodate and adapt to the
- inevitable effects of the NII, instead recommends tightening up
- existing laws, and expanding their scope, in an attempt to preserve
- the status quo and protect established interests. It seems to me that
- this approach would dramatically undercut the potential of the NII,
- making many of its most natural uses and benefits illegal. Worse, I
- believe this approach would create a body of law which will make speed
- limits look well-respected by comparison, and any attempt to enforce
- these laws is likely to be destructive and unpleasant for all of us.
-
- There are numerous other, more specific things in this report which
- make me unhappy, too -- such as the presumption that the NII should be
- little more than a new marketplace for old businesses; the creation of
- gratuitous new rights for major record labels which would hurt
- artists, and would enable the record companies to control the digital
- audio server industry; and most frightening of all, the shameless
- suggestion that the public schools should be used to pound these new
- rules into the heads of children as early as Kindergarten.
-
- I've obviously considered firing off a letter of comment myself, but
- after I calmed down I realized how little impact that would be likely
- to have. So I decided the most constructive thing I could do would be
- to post this "alert" here, in the hope that someone with better
- qualifications and resources than myself might pick up the ball.
-
- Thanks for your attention.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Fri, 19 Aug 94 09:11 MDT
- From: chuck@MU.LAW.UTAH.EDU(Charles Perkins)
- Subject: File 2--Good, bad, ugly, confused, and wary
-
- Jerry Leichter knocks down a straw man in his argument that free
- market concerns (about cryptograpy and the clipper chip) should not
- take precedence over public interest and safety. He correctly argues
- that we have regulations for our safety. However, his article assumes
- that the proposed regulations will safeguard citizens' safety and
- interests in a manner similar to current automotive and industrial
- regulations. I do not share this assumption. In fact, I am afraid
- that these proposals will reduce my safety and compromise my own
- interests.
-
- I am not concerned about the ethical use of the powers of observation
- that would be created by the digital telephony proposals. I AM
- concerned about the unethical uses. The unethical uses by government
- officials or criminals (anyone using these avenues without authority
- but with the technical ability and illicit knowlege.) I also am
- concerned about the precedent this would set. I would like to think
- that I have a right to privacy in my communications with others.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- From: karl@MCS.COM (Karl Denninger)
- Subject: File 3--EFF - "This bill will pass" - Telecom reg - WATCH OUT ISPs!
-
- An excerpt from Farber's "interesting people" list:
-
- I. Overview
-
- During the final hours before the Senate telecommunications
- bill (S.1822) was marked-up by the Senate Commerce Committee, a
- provision was added which would expand the current FCC regulation on
- obscene and indecent audiotext (900 number) services to virtually all
- electronic information services, including commercial online service
- providers, the Internet, and BBS operators. This proposal, introduced
- by Senator Exon, would require all information service providers and
- all other electronic communication service providers, to take steps to
- assure that minors do not have access to obscene or indecent material
- through the services offered by the service provider.
-
- ......
-
- II. Summary of Exon Amendment
-
- The Exon amendment which is now part of S.1822, expands
- section 223 of the Communications Act to cover anyone who "makes,
- transmits, or otherwise makes available" obscene or indecent
- communication. It makes no distinction between those entities which
- transmit the communications from those which create, process, or use
- the communication. This section of the Communications Act was
- originally intended to criminalize harassment accomplished over
- interstate telephone lines, and to require telephone companies that
- offer indecent 900 number services to prevent minors from having
- access to such services. The 900 number portions are know as the
- Helms Amendments, having been championed by Senator Jesse Helms.
- These sections have been the subject of extension constitutional
- litigation.
-
- If enacted into law, these amendments would require that
- anyone who
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- "makes, transmits, or otherwise makes available" indecent communication
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- take prescribed steps to assure that minors are prevented from having
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
- access to these communications.
- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
-
- If I remember correctly the EFF was quite sure that a bill of this
- kind was going to pass, so they rolled over and said "ok" to the one
- offered.
-
- Now look where it is going to get all of us.
-
- You want to know how to destroy what we have here? Force every
- provider, every carrier, and every end-node to verify by legally
- acceptable proof of age each and every person online. Since there is
- no way to filter newsgroups 100%, you have to accept only those who
- are legally of age -- or else you filter every message.
-
- There goes the library connections we've been working for, as an
- example. The libraries THEMSELVES could be held legally liable for
- permitting a minor to use their terminals if they have Internet
- access.
-
- This bill MUST GO DOWN TO DEFEAT. Flood your congressmen and senators
- phones RIGHT NOW. DO NOT allow this thing to pass.
-
- While you're at it fire the EFF and rip up your membership cards.
- IMHO they're asleep at the switch or have sold us all out. Take your
- pick; either is equally bad.
-
- Just what DOES the EFF stand for?
-
- Or perhaps clearing the playing field of all "small guys" so the
- telcos, who have been giving you folks operating money, can come in
- and take over?
-
- What's the real agenda here guys?
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 15:36:20 -0500 (CDT)
- From: Charles Stanford <cstanfor@BIGCAT.MISSOURI.EDU>
- Subject: File 4--Congressional Committee on the Net (fwd)
-
- ---------- Forwarded message ----------
- Date--Fri, 12 Aug 1994 15:35:11 +0400
- From--JPX@hr.house.gov
- To--Multiple recipients of list SAIS-L <SAIS-L@unb.ca>
- Subject--Congressional Committee takes to the Net (long)
-
- This is the initial posting from the Committee on Science, Space,
- and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives, chaired by the
- Honorable George Brown of California. We have agreed to serve as
- the "beta" testers for House Committees trying to learn how to use
- the Internet. We posted this message to some of the USENET
- newsgroups that discuss topics relevant to our jurisdiction over
- Federal civilian research and development activities to:
-
- (1) Increase the number of people who know we do have
- Internet access;
- (2) Indicate how we can be reached on the net; and
- (3) Start learning how to take advantage of this information
- system in our daily activities.
-
- Getting the Congress to use Internet has been discussed in a few
- threads on various USENET newsgroups of late. Some of you may be
- familiar with the E-Mail Pilot Project established by the Committee
- on House Administration, chaired by the Honorable Charlie Rose of
- North Carolina. Those Members of the House currently maintaining
- an electronic mailbox for constituent communications may be found
- by e-mailing "congress@hr.house.gov" with the text "HELP" or "INFO"
- in the message body. You will receive an automated response with
- the necessary instructions.
-
- Also, the text of legislation introduced in the U.S. House of
- Representatives during the current Congress is now available on a
- W.A.I.S server located at the House Information Systems data
- center. The server may be accessed from the directory at
- quake.think.com or using the following information:
-
- Server: diamond
- Port: 210
- Database Name: USHOUSE_house_bill_text_103rd
-
- It can also be found on gopher.house.gov in:
-
- Congressional Information/Legislative Resources
-
- The database contains the text of House bills beginning with
- October 1993 and is updated daily.
-
- What follows now is the message you will automatically receive in
- response to messages sent to housesst@hr.house.gov, the Committee's
- Internet address. It describes items like the Committee's gopher
- server, which you can also find at gopher.house.gov.
-
- ----------- begin -----------
- Welcome to the electronic mailbox system for the Committee on
- Science, Space, and Technology of the U.S. House of
- Representatives. This Internet service is provided for ease of
- communication with the Members and staff of the Committee.
-
- If your message is addressed to a specific Member, it will be
- printed out in hard copy and forwarded to the Member's office for
- response by U.S. Mail.
-
- If your message is addressed to a staff member of the
- Committee, it will be forwarded electronically to that staff member
- for response. Depending on the nature of the response, it might
- reach you in either electronic or postal form.
-
- Messages for the Committee press office will be acknowledged
- electronically and then followed up on, if necessary, with material
- by post or fax. You can reach the press office directly via
- Internet at "sstpress@hr.house.gov".
-
- The Committee also maintains a bulletin board on the House of
- Representatives Internet gopher server at "gopher@hr.house.gov".
- Much of the public information material provided by the Committee
- is available on this gopher system.
-
- Much of this information also is available on the Committee's
- "Straight Talk" voice-response system. Dial 202/225-3018 and
- follow the menu instructions for a touch-tone telephone.
-
- Thank you for contacting the House Science Committee. Please
- be patient as we experiment with this new way of better serving
- your communications needs. If you wish to write to the Committee,
- please direct your correspondence to:
-
- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- 2320 Rayburn House Office Building
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Washington, DC 20515
- ----------- end -----------
-
- At this time, we suggest you supply both your e-mail and postal
- addresses in any communication to the Committee. Each office in
- Congress has its own policy for responding to public inquiries.
- So, if we forward your e-mail to a particular Member's office, they
- may choose to respond with a regular letter. Our Committee hopes
- to increase our use of e-mail in responding to public inquiries.
-
- We have chosen the following subset of USENET groups for our
- initial foray into the net.world:
-
- alt.california
- alt.cyberspace
- alt.dcom.telecom
- alt.politics.datahighway
- comp.dcom.telecom
- comp.org.cpsr.talk
- comp.org.eff.talk
- misc.education
- misc.education.science
- misc.legal
- sci.agriculture
- sci.astro
- sci.bio.ecology
- sci.chem
- sci.energy
- sci.engr
- sci.environment
- sci.geo.geology
- sci.math
- sci.med
- sci.misc
- sci.physics
- sci.research
- sci.space.policy
- talk.environment
- talk.politics.crypto
-
- Please feel free to repost this message to other groups that might
- find the information of value. Your comments on what should be
- carried by this channel of communications would also be welcomed.
-
- ---------------
-
- Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Washington, D.C. 20515 HOUSESST@HR.HOUSE.GOV
-
- DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed in this posting are those of the
- sender and do not necessarily reflect those of the Committee, the
- Chairman or any Member of Congress.
-
-
- ** End of text from cdp:pol.access.usa **
-
- ***************************************************************************
- This material came from PeaceNet, a non-profit progressive networking
- service. For more information, send a message to peacenet-info@igc.apc.org
- ***************************************************************************
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 18 Aug 94 14:38:00 EDT
- From: "W. K. (Bill) Gorman" <34AEJ7D@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU
- Subject: File 5-- Clinton's Crime Bill - new threat to Sysops? (fwd)
-
- Look at the civil forfeiture provisions buried deep in the Crime Bill.
- Looks like Sysops will be facing civil forfeiture for their OPINIONS now;
- the Crime Bill just redefines darn near everything as a TERRORIST ACT.
-
- ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
-
- Here is a synopsis of the wonderful things hidden in the so-called
- "Crime Control Act of 1993."
-
- Property Forfeiture for Speeches, Writings and Assembly
- by Ross Regnart
-
- The Crime Control Act of 1993
- The Crime Control Act of 1993 redefines Illegal Search and Seizure
- while eliminating an innocent citizen's civil redress in suits against
- government officials and agents. [Title VII Section 2337]
- Incorporated: were provisions of proposed S.45 titled "Terrorism
- Death Penalty Act of 1991" Both bills contained language which can
- charge law abiding citizens of being agents or affording support to
- terrorist organizations.
- Consider: the Proper Forfeiture Effects on organizations and
- individuals when Speeches, Writings, and Assemblies mentioned in S.45
- are combined with the Forfeiture Provisions of Biden's SB 266 now
- incorporated in The Crime Control Act of 1993: any individual or
- organization in the United States who had or should have had knowledge
- that an associate might commit a terrorist act can have their property
- seized. Written like Federal Drug Forfeiture Laws, a citizen who
- allowed their home or other real property to be used for an assembly
- would start out guilty having to prove they did not have knowledge of
- unlawful methods of the organization or individuals they allowed to use
- their property. See S.8 Definitions Title VII Section 2332
- "Local" C
- Politically active organizations and labor unions are especially
- vulnerable to The Crime Control Act of 1993 provisions which define
- bodily acts as "terrorist acts" A fist fight at a demonstration or
- picket line would qualify. The physical act need not cause bodily harm
- as its provisions refer to "involving any violent act".
- S.8 The Crime Control Act of 1993 Forfeiture Provisions which seem
- aimed at public dissent are written like RICO laws taking on the added
- prospect of Political Property Forfeiture. Broadly written intent to
- commit terrorist acts is defined: "appear to be intended (1) to
- intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (2) to influence the policy
- of a government by intimidation or coercion."
- It would appear that provisions contained in Senator Biden's proposed
- Senate Bill 266, now included in The Crime Control Act of 1993, target
- any group of persons which would dare demonstrate for or against any
- issue. Any picket line which is alleged to have blocked public access
- could qualify to intimidate or coerce a civilian population. Should
- violence result for any reason at a public assembly, the Property
- Forfeiture Provisions of The Crime Control Act of 1993 may be triggered
- causing forfeiture of attending demonstrators' homes used for meetings
- and the vehicles they used for transportation to the event.
- Demonstrators and/or pickets who left messages on a member or
- organization computer BBS System could cause the forfeiture of the
- system and all its records. The fact the system operator had no
- knowledge of any planned violence will Not Prevent Property Forfeiture
- of organization and member assets.
- Conspiracy is enough. Under provisions of The Crime Control Act of
- 1993 Property Forfeiture, Arrest, Huge Fines, and Prison Sentences can
- result from "activities which appear to be intended toward violence".
- Distributing political action flyers could qualify.
- The Crime Control Act of 1993 Terrorist Provisions when first examined
- are misleading for they give the reader the impression they are after
- agents of a foreign power wishing to do Americans harm. The "Trojan
- Horse" in The Crime Control Act of 1993: anyone in the United States
- committing an undefined violent act or attending an assembly can be
- charged with terrorism. S.8 Terrorism Forfeiture Provisions Would Be
- Retroactive Going Back 4 Years.
-
- Discovery of Witnesses and Evidence Eliminated
- If a Defendant under Section 2333 of Title VII terrorist acts and/or
- conspiracy seeks to discover from the Department of Justice the
- evidence against him, the attorney for the Government may object on the
- grounds that compliance will interfere with a criminal investigation or
- prosecution of the incident, or a national security operation related
- to the incident, which is the subject of Civil Litigation. Example:
- Government Civil Forfeiture. Expected: Defense against Government
- charges may be difficult where citizens have no access to knowing of
- the alleged evidence against them or the right to cross examine
- government's secret witnesses.
- Secret Witnesses - Secret Trials: Protection of jurors and witnesses
- in Capital Cases
- Chapter 113B Section 138 states that the list of jurors and witnesses
- need not be furnished to Capital Offense Defendants should the court
- find by a preponderance of the evidence that providing the list may
- jeopardize the life or safety of any person.
-
- Title VII Section n2337
- The Crime Control Act of 1993 eliminates civil suits against U.S. and
- Foreign Governments by innocent persons injured resulting from
- Government Agents in prusuit of terrorist acts.
-
- Title VII Section 711: Sentencing Guidelines Increased for Terrorist
- Crimes
- The United States Sentencing Commission shall have the power to provide
- an increase in the base offense level for any felony committed in the
- United States that involves or is intended to promote international
- terrorism. Participation by political activists in Lawful Speeches,
- Writings and Public Assemblies may be used as evidence by Government to
- show that a political participant was aware of the unlawful methods of
- the individual or organization they are alleged to have afforded
- support.
- One person's violent unlawful act at an assembly may be enough for
- the Government to allege the assembly Appears To Be Intended Toward
- Violence or Activities which could Intimidate or Coerce a Civilian
- Population.
- Under current drug forfeiture laws: innocent citizens have been
- implicated by informants who will often testify to anything to mitigate
- their own arrest. This has resulted in innocent citizens being
- arrested and killed by drug agents; forfeiture of the property; and
- financial ruination. Under proposed provisions of The Crime Control
- Act of 1993 special breaks are afforded informants, even against the
- death penalty. Government will have no difficulty Creating Informants
- to cause the incarceration of any citizen considered a threat to one's
- political agenda.
- Disproportionate zero tolerance laws have served as precedents for
- expanding forfeiture: Since 1984, forfeiture laws have been operating
- on the erroneous contention that property can possess intent to commit
- crime. Innocent owners can have their property seized prior to trial
- on mere suspicion, starting out guilty, the owner having to prove they
- did not have reason to know that their property was being used to
- facilitate a forfeitable offense. Government need only show the
- property owner was negligent in making his property available for
- illegal drug activity to cause its forfeiture.
- The Forfeiture Scam: tenants arrested on real property when offered a
- sentencing deal by a prosecutor or immunity from further prosecution,
- often reply in testimony, "that had the real property owner been
- vigilant, he or she could have discovered drug activity taking place on
- their property." Government has used against real property owners in
- Civil Forfeiture actions the fact that a property owner had reported to
- police that a tenant was dealing drugs at their property to show an
- owner had prior knowledge of the activity. Elderly citizens afraid to
- face machine guns and other threats by drug dealers are especially
- vulnerable to having their homes and rental property siezed. Elderly
- property owners, often in bad health, are easy prey for Police
- Forfeiture Squads.
- The Crime Control Act of 1993 will allow government to use against its
- citizens illegally seized evidence. Searches, wiretaps and seizures
- that result in obtaining evidence from an invalid warrant issued by a
- detached and neutral magistrate found to be invalid based on misleading
- information or reckless disregard of the truth may in many instances
- override Constitutional 4th Amendment protection against illegal search
- and seizure.
- S.8 The Crime Control Act of 1993 amends the "Exclusionary Rule" to
- add Section 3509 Admissibility of Evidence Obtained By Search or
- Seizure (a) Evidence Obtained By Objectively Reasonable Search or
- Seizure (b) Evidence Not Excludable By Statute or Rule: sets the
- groundwork for Government Forfeiture Squads to at random invade
- innocent owners' homes and businesses with a minimum of probable cause.
- Government need only assert that "a search and seizure was carried out
- in circumstances justifying an objectively reasonable belief that it
- was in conformity with the Fourth Amendment."
- Informants: Now being paid by government 25% of net proceeds realized
- from Forfeited Assets in drug related seizures could earn similar
- amounts causing forfeiture of citizens homes they allege to have been
- used by an owner for discussion of attending assemblies which the
- informant believed "appeared to be intended toward violence or to
- intimidate or coerce a civilian population."
-
- The Crime Control Act of 1993
- Informants and law enforcement agencies addressing prevention of
- terrorist acts are to be funded by Forfeiture and Fines collected from
- terrorists and/or persons alleged to have afforded terrorists material
- support. Will Citizens Exercising Their Constitutional Right To Free
- Expression And Association Be Targeted By Government Agents Who Know
- Their Jobs Are Dependent ON Property Seizures, Fines and Arrests?
-
- From "Property Forfeiture for Speeches, Writings and Assembly," by Ross
- Regnart, in the May, 1993 _Asset_Guardian_ newsletter (POBox 513,
- Franklin, NJ 07416, 1-201-827-0513). Informational posting of this
- article is allowed as long as credit is given to _Asset_Guardian_.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Sun, 22 Aug 1993 16:42:34 +0000
- From: Dave Banisar <banisar@EPIC.ORG>
- Subject: File 6--EPIC Statement on FBI Wiretap Bill
-
-
-
- *DISTRIBUTE WIDELY*
-
- EPIC Statement on Digital Telephony Wiretap Bill
-
- The digital telephony bill recently introduced in Congress is the
- culmination of a process that began more than two years ago, when the
- Federal Bureau of Investigation first sought legislation to ensure its
- ability to conduct electronic surveillance through mandated design
- changes in the nation's information infrastructure. We have monitored
- that process closely and have scrutinized the FBI's claims that
- remedial legislation is necessary. We have sponsored conferences at
- which the need for legislation was debated with the participation of
- the law enforcement community, the telecommunications industry and
- privacy advocates. We have sought the disclosure of all relevant
- information through a series of requests under the Freedom of
- Information Act. Having thus examined the issue, EPIC remains
- unconvinced of the necessity or advisability of the pending bill.
-
- As a threshold matter, we do not believe that a compelling case
- has been made that new communications technologies hamper the ability
- of law enforcement agencies to execute court orders for electronic
- surveillance. For more than two years, we have sought the public
- disclosure of any FBI records that might document such a problem. To
- date, no such documentation has been released. Without public scrutiny
- of factual information on the nature and extent of the alleged
- technological impediments to surveillance, the FBI's claims remain
- anecdotal and speculative. Indeed, the telecommunications industry
- has consistently maintained that it is unaware of any instances in
- which a communications carrier has been unable to comply with law
- enforcement's requirements. Under these circumstances, the nation
- should not embark upon a costly and potentially dangerous re-design of
- its telecommunications network solely to protect the viability of fewer
- than 1000 annual surveillances against wholly speculative impediments.
-
- We also believe that the proposed legislation would establish a
- dangerous precedent for the future. While the FBI claims that the
- legislation would not enhance its surveillance powers beyond those
- contained in existing law, the pending bill represents a fundamental
- change in the law's approach to electronic surveillance and police
- powers generally. The legislation would, for the first time, mandate
- that our means of communications must be designed to facilitate
- government interception. While we as a society have always recognized
- law enforcement's need to obtain investigative information upon
- presentation of a judicial warrant, we have never accepted the notion
- that the success of such a search must be guaranteed. By mandating the
- success of police searches through the re-design of the telephone
- network, the proposed legislation breaks troubling new ground. The
- principle underlying the bill could easily be applied to all emerging
- information technologies and be incorporated into the design of the
- National Information Infrastructure. It could also lead to the
- prohibition of encryption techniques other than government-designed
- "key escrow" or "Clipper" type systems.
-
- In short, EPIC believes that the proposed digital telephony bill
- raises substantial civil liberties and privacy concerns. The present
- need for the legislation has not been established and its future
- implications are frightening. We therefore call upon all concerned
- individuals and organizations to express their views on the legislation
- to their Congressional representatives. We also urge you to contact
- Rep. Jack Brooks, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, to share
- your opinions:
-
- Rep. Jack Brooks
- Chair, House Judiciary Committee
- 2138 Rayburn House Office Bldg.
- Washington, DC 20515
- (202) 225-3951 (voice)
- (202) 225-1958 (fax)
-
- The bill number is H.R. 4922 in the House and S. 2375 in the Senate. It can
- be referred to as the "FBI Wiretap Bill" in correspondence.
-
-
- Electronic Privacy Information Center
- 666 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E.
- Suite 301 Washington, DC 20003
- (202) 544-9240 (voice)
- (202) 547-5482 (fax)
- <info@epic.org>
-
- EPIC is a project of the Fund for Constitutional Government and Computer
- Professionals for Social Responsibility.
-
- =======================================================================
-
-
-
-
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 14:04:09 +0300
- From: Shmuel Peleg <peleg@CS.HUJI.AC.IL>
- Subject: File 7--Updates on 12-ICPR, Jerusalem
-
- ***** Updates *****
- 12th ICPR : INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PATTERN RECOGNITION
- 9-13 October 1994
- Renaissance Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel
- ***** Advance Registration Deadline: 9 August 1994 *****
- ***** Authors: Camera ready due August 8 at the IEEE Computer Society *****
- ===================================================================
-
- 1. Get full updated information by sending E-Mail to
- icpr-info@cs.huji.ac.il.
-
- 2. A network of 15 Silicon Graphics computers and 10 NCD X-terminals,
- with a high-speed Internet link, will be available. Bring your
- Demonstrations!! You could also telnet to your own computer, of
- course, and read E-Mail.
-
- 3. On-Line information about Jerusalem can be obtained by telnet into
- "www.huji.ac.il", login as www, and then select "[1] Line Mode
- Interface" followed by "[3] Databases in Israel" and "[13] The
- Jerusalem Mosaic". Dont worry if you get some funny symbols. If
- you have Mosaic you can select:
- http://shum.cc.huji.ac.il/jeru/jerusalem.html
-
- 4. The Banquet will be a Bedouine feast, combined with a special
- sight-and-sound show, at the foot of Massada. An unfogettable
- experience! During the banquet, the following announcements will
- be made: * IAPR Announcement: New IAPR Executive Committee, Venue
- for 14-ICPR
- * Nomination of IAPR Fellows
- * Best Industry-Related Paper Award
- * Best-Paper-Award by the journal "Pattern Recognition"
-
- 5. The opening session of the conference will be on Monday, 10 Aug, 08:30 AM:
- 8:30 Welcome Address: J. Aggarwal, President of IAPR
- 8:40 Presentation of the K.S. Fu Award
- 8:45 Address by the winner of the K.S. Fu Award
- 9:15 Welcome Address: 12-ICPR Conference Chairmen
- 9:30 Plenary Talk: Avnir, D. - Hebrew University - THE PATTERNED NATURE
- 10:00 Coffee Break
- 10:30 Start of 4 Parallel Sessions
-
- 6. Master Card is now also accepted for registration payments.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Mon, 22 Aug 1994 09:32:20 +0100
- From: virusbtn@VAX.OX.AC.UK
- Subject: File 8--Fourth International Virus Bulletin Conference
-
- In light of the last conference announcements, I thought that some readers
- may find the following short chunk of information useful:
-
- Virus Bulletin Conference 1994.
-
- The Fourth International Virus Bulletin Conference will be held at the
- Hotel de France, Jersey, UK, on 8th and 9th September 1994. Speakers
- at the conference include Vesselin Bontchev, Sara Gordon, Alan
- Solomon, Joe Wells...
-
- Delegates at VB '94 will gain an insight into virus prevalence on a
- range of platforms and discuss technical and management concerns with
- internationally acknowledged experts.
-
- The conference registration fee is UK#595, and includes admission to
- all sessions, admission to the exhibition, a copy of the conference
- proceedings, lunch and mid-session refreshment on both dyas, welcome
- reception and dinner on Wednesday 7th September, the coference
- reception and Black Tie Gala Dinner on Thursday 8th September.
-
- Anybody requiring further information should Email
- virusbtn@vax.ox.ac.uk or fax Petra Duffield on (UK) 01235 559935
- (International) +44 1235 559935.
-
- Regards,
-
- Richard Ford
- Editor, Virus Bulletin.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 19:21:33 CDT
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- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1994 22:51:01 CDT
- From: CuD Moderators <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu>
- Subject: File 10--Cu Digest Header Information (unchanged)
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- End of Computer Underground Digest #6.76
-