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Computer Undergroud Digest Vol. 05 Issue 72
Computer underground Digest Thu Sep 16 1993 Volume 5 : Issue 72
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
Cookie Editor: Etaoin Shrdlu, III
CONTENTS, #5.72 (Sep 16 1993)
File 1--Still more on the Elansky/Hartford BBS Case
File 2--Thoughts on the Elansky Case - A Response
File 3--Attitude TV show about hackers in Australia
File 4--CuNews
File 5--CPSR Annual Meeting
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 (815-753-0303), fax (815-753-6302)
or U.S. mail at: Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
60115.
Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
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LAWSIG, and DL1 of TELECOM; on GEnie in the PF*NPC RT
libraries and in the VIRUS/SECURITY library; from America Online in
the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
On Delphi in the General Discussion database of the Internet SIG;
on the PC-EXEC BBS at (414) 789-4210; and on: Rune Stone BBS (IIRG
WHQ) (203) 832-8441 NUP:Conspiracy; RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020
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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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----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1993 15:23:41 CDT
From: CuD Moderators <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu>
Subject: File 1--Still more on the Elansky/Hartford BBS Case
Michael Elansky, sysop of The Ware House BBS in West Hartford, Ct.,
remains in jail, and will likely be there for awhile, at least until
his pre-trial hearing on Sept. 23. As information continues to trickle
in, the First Amendment implications of the case grow. For those not
following the case (see CuD #5.69 and #5.71), Elansky was arrested and
is being held on $500,000 bond, excessive even by the standards of
violent criminals in West Hartford (see IIRG file below). Elansky's
primary sin seems to be that he ran a BBS that made "anarchy" text
files available, something to which the prosecutor took exception.
While it may be premature to argue that there is no other evidence to
substantiate the charges, and that other illegal behavior might not be
alleged at a later date, it increasingly appears that the existence of
"anarchy" files is being used to create the image that Elansky is a
potential social menace. However, it also appears that Hartford Superior
Court Judge Richard A. Damiani may have been premature in his rebuke
of Elansky's appeal for reduced bail. According to the Hartford
Courant (August 7, B5), the judge argued that Elansky was where he
belonged: In jail. The Courant quotes the judge as saying that,
initially:
I felt that Mr. Elansky was not a peron we should utilize a
bed in prison for when we're dealing with rapists and
murders.
The judge said that the new "anarchy" charges changed his opinion:
One could equate this with what's going on in New York, where
terrorists are targeting particular buildings...I think he's
more of a danger to society than a rapist in prison. He
belongs in jail."
Because of the lack of public disclosure of details in the case, the
basis for the judge's comments remain unclear. Nothing other than the
anarchy files has surfaced as evidence in the case.
WHAT'S GOING ON??
If the facts, which continue to be unchallenged, are as presented by
Elansky, his parents, the defense attorney, the prosecutor's summary
given to the media, and the document we reproduce in this file, then
the case has a chilling effect on all media. But, electronic media
especially--including BBSes, Usenet, and the Internet in
general--could become vulnerable to prosecutorial discretion. The
case could likely require a dramatic revision of BBS and related law
by restricting freedom of expression.
CuD received the following by mail, which we are told is an unsworn
officer's report adduced to substantiate the charges. The language of
the document includes wording identical to wording in a document the
Hartford Courant (Aug 7, 1993, B5) cited as contained in the arrest
warrant, which indicates that it provided the basis for at least the
most dramatic prosecutor claims. The apparent typos, convoluted
phrases, and other language occur in the copy that we received.
Because of the awkward end of the "excerpts" section in the document,
it is possible that a page or more of "excerpts" from the files has
been omitted or withheld. If so, readers can refer to CuD 5.71 for the
reprints of the files. Although actual instructions were deleted in
our published version, readers can find the information in any similar
"anarchy" file on thousands of BBSes across the country, as well as in
conventional print media. The file we received reads:
That I, Richard Aniolowski, am a member of the West Hartford
Police Department and have been for ten years and 7 months
and was promoted to Detective in September 1990.
That on June 14, 1993, assistant state's attorney, Joan
Alexander GA 14 assigned me to assist her in an
investigation of a computer bulletin board that is
disseminating information on how to manufacture explosives,
bombs, and how to evade bomb squad technicians when they
attempt to disarm such devices. The information included
explicit and ((sic)) instructions on how to construct such
devices with only laymans knowledge, and involved the
promotion and encouragement of constructing such devices for
purpose ((sic)) of "maiming or mortally wounding" law
enforcement officials.
That presently Michael Elansky has a court appearance for
violation of probation. This probation is the result of an
arrest for manufacturing explosives. In October, 1992,
Michael Elansky was arrested for a burglary at Hall High
School in which several dangerous chemicals were stolen. The
chemicals stolen were sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid and
nitric acid. All of these chemicals can be used to
manufacture explosives. That it was on May 28, 1993 that
Detective Goodrow of the Hartford Police Department gained
access to the "Warehouse", a modem accessible computer
bulletin board that can be reached over regular telephone
lines, ((sic)) The Warehouse is operated and controlled
solely and exclusively by Michael Elansky. Elansky as the
operator of the bulletin board system (BBS), is the only
person who can delete files from the bulletin board, and is
the only person who can determine which user may access the
system and what level of access they may obtain. The user in
this case were ((sic)) carefully screened and were required
to make application to Elansky in order to be allowed
access.
The computer bulletin board in this case originates from the
computer of Michael Elansky in the home of Michael Elansky
((address deleted by CuD)), West Hartford, Ct. Elansky being
the authorized user of the bulletin board had a code name
that identified him to the users of this bulletin board. The
code name used by Elansky is "IONIZER."
That Goodrow said the "Anarchy'" ((sic)) file he obtained
access to the Warehouse bulletin board through one of the
users systems.
The file Anarchy that Goodrow accessed gave detailed
instructions on how to manufacture explosives, bombs and
went on to instruct the reader on how to evade police bomb
squads in dismantling of bombs.
That I supplied a photocopy of the file that Detective
Goodrow downloaded from Michael Elansky Warehouse Bulletin
Board.
Some authorized users of Michael Elansky's are minors, a
fact known to Elansky since he required that name, address
and age prior to being allowed to access the bulletin board.
The phone number used by Detective Goodrow to access
"Warehouse" Bulletin Board put out by Elansky ((number
deleted by CuD)). I obtained from SNETCO Security that the
phone line belongs to Michael Elansky (address deleted by
CuD)), West Hartford, CT.
((name deleted by CuD)) of Bloomfield, a University of Hartford
student, and a user of bulletin board says the person who
runs the bulletin board identifies himself as the "IONIZER"
and is a student of The university of Hartford.
On June 20, 1993 I interviewed and obtained a written
statement from ((name deleted by CuD)) of East Hartford,
he is 14 years of age. He said he has spoken with Michael
Elansky by phone on several occasions.
Several hours after speaking with ((name deleted by CuD)) I
received a phone call from Michael Elansky asking why I was
investigating him.
That ((sic)) I spoke with ((name deleted by CuD)), 17 years
of age who downloaded but deleted.
((name deleted by CuD)) of Newington downloaded "ANARCHY" from the
warehouse bulletin board. The material was downloaded onto a
floppy disc for the police department.
Elansky does promote, encourage and praise the manufacture
of explosives such as pipe bombs and goes one step further
in promoting techniques on how to evade, injure and kill
bomb technicians attempting to neutralize the bomb.
_EXCERPTS_
To any law enforcement agency "FUCK OFF this file is
intended to promote general havoc and *ANARCHY*, and you
can't do a damn thing about it PIGS...instructions of making
pipe bombs. materials needed 6" pipes, drill
((CuD Moderators' Note: Were "instructions" withheld?))
That in October 1992 the West Hartford Police Department
conducted a search warrant at the home of Michael Elansky.
The seizure included, pipes, approximately 6" long that had
been capped and had been drilled into.
Issue warrant...violation of Section 53a-179a inciting
injury to persons or property and 53-21 risk of injury to a
minor.
dated July 26, 1993
The files in question were reprinted (sans actual instructions) in CuD
5.71, and we saw in them no evidence that Elansky or anybody else
advocated violence against the public or against law enforcement. Nor
do the excerpts from the report make any such claim. The
interpretation of the files by police stretches credibility. There are
instructions for making pipe and other bombs, as the report indicates,
but the instructions are superficial and do not target police or
others. We could also not find any instructions in either file for
"maiming or mortally wounding" law enforcement officials, for
booby-trapping against disposal experts, or anything else. There are
numerous other files that might suggest this, most available on
"anarchy" and other BBSes. CuD possesses many megs of such files
accumulated over the years, and they are written primarily by young,
rebellious, teenagers. The files, as we argued in CuD 5.69, are
better understood as a form of cultural rebellion and identity
formation in the maturation process of teenagers than as a literal
blueprint for "havoc" and violence.
That files written by a 15 year old nearly four years ago can cause so
much distress among law enforcement demonstrates the technophobia of
law enforcement and the public. The media do not help combat these
fears by appealing to the lowest common denominator in finding a
dramatic angle. We note that no major media have written on this
story. Perhaps if Elansky was also dating four women he met on his
board, the print media would cover it on the front page. However, the
story only raises fundamental First Amendment issues, which are boring
and fail to capture the public interest.
To CuDs knowledge, there has been only one reported incident of a
serious incident involving youths attempting to build pyrotechnic
devices from instructions obtained from BBS files. This occurred in
Washington, D.C. (circa 1990) when two users of the old Atlantis BBS
experimented with tragic results. One incident is one too many.
Perhaps there have been others that have not been drawn to our
attention. But, the point is that there is no evidence over the past
decade of an increase in injuries or damages directly resulting
from accessing such files. Existing evidence, drawn from BBSes,
textfiles, and user-provided information over the years, suggests that
these files are symbols of a youth subculture, and hardly a literal
blueprint for action. When Axl Rose is pictured on MTV wearing a
t-shirt that says "Kill your Idols" with a picture of Jesus, most
observers recognize this as simply the rebellion of the heavy metal
set. Although many commentators find the lyrics of rap disturbing,
there are no arrests of radio station personnel who develop the
playlists or the DJs who play them. Perhaps, in West Hartford, this
will soon occur.
THE LAWS THAT WERE VIOLATED
What were the laws that posting of anarchy files violated?
Chapter 952, Title 53a-179a of the Connecticut Penal code
constitutes a class C felony, punishable up to ten years in
prison:
s 53a-179a. Inciting injury to persons or property:
(a) A person is guilty of inciting injury to persons or
property when, in public or private, orally, in writing, in
printing or in any other manner, he advocates, encourages,
justifies, praises, incites or solicits the unlawful
burning, injury to or destruction of any public or private
property or advocates, encourages, justifies, praises,
incites or solicits any assault upon any organization of
the armed forces of the United States, as defined by
section 27-103, or of this state, as defined by section
27-2, or the police force of this or any other state or
upon any officer or member thereof or the organized police
or fire departments of any municipality or any officer or
of any individual.
s 53-21. Injury or risk of injury to, or impairing morals
of, children
Any person who willfully or unlawfully causes or permits
any child under the age of sixteen years to be placed in
such a situation that its life or limb is endangered, or its
health is likely to be injured, or its morals likely to be
impaired, or does any act likely to impair the health or
morals of any such child, shall be fined not more than five
hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than ten years or
both.
The broad scope of both laws could apply to a substantial amount of
literature and television programming. If applied to the "anarchy"
files that provide the "evidence" for Elansky's arrest, the
implications would undermine freedom of expression by providing the
justification for bringing felony criminal charges by over-zealous
prosecutors against virtually all media. Instead of time-consuming
Congressional hearings and debates on violence in media, why not just
slap a few producers, writers, and Connecticut television personnel in
jail with a $500,000 bond? And, because numerous books advocating,
promoting, justifying, or glorifying violence or insurrection are
available in, or accessible through, most book stores to anyone with
the money to purchase them, perhaps the West Hartford police should
continue their sweep and charge local book dealers as well. And,
because the information is exchanged systematically in a coordinated
network of sales and distribution, it might be wise to invoke
conspiracy laws. Use of the "access devices" to obtain such
information from BBSes, and interstate networks for other media
obviously move into federal jurisdiction, so let's involve the U.S.
Secret Service as well.
Or, we could recognize that the "anarchy" files in question and others
like them, along with other forms of expression that many of us find
unwise or offensive, are simple part of the price of a First
Amendment.
The documents in the case remain sealed, which we find troubling. If
there is more to the Elansky case, then the relevant information
should be unsealed. If Michael Elansky is, in fact, the next
potential World Trade Center bomber, as law enforcement officials
suggest, then evidence should be produced and the judicial process
should do its thing. However, if--as the case seems--Michael Elansky
is "guilty" simply of distributing legal files on a BBS, then he
should be released immediately and the charges against him dropped.
CuD continues to use qualifiers such as "if the facts are as they
seem." We simply find it inconceivable that even the most inept or
mean-spirited law enforcement agents would proceed with a case and
impose such a bond primarily on the basis of the anarchy files. Yet,
without unsealing the documents, we just don't know. Given the facts
publicly available, the evidence seems to mount against the
prosecutor's judgment in this case. By using "anarchy" files as the
basis of prosecution under the cited laws, he seems to have grossly
over-reacted. The result is that it appears that not only has he done
an injustice to Elansky, but he has put all media--electronic and
otherwise--at risk of felony prosecution at the arbitrary discretion
of law enforcement.
Whatever the ultimate facts, the First Amendment issues will not
disappear. CuD is in full accord with those who are uncomfortable with
the ability of the new information technology to make texts and images
freely available to minors and others. The accessibility of "adult"
gifs, ultra-violent video games, graphic or potentially dangerous
texts, virus and related sourcecode, and other material raises serious
ethical and policy questions. Those with children are concerned that
minors, especially young ones, not be exposed to certain types of
material so readily. Those with the capacity to distribute the
material face the challenge of balancing social responsibility with
freedom of expression and information access. The underlying issues
require discussion, debate, and recognition of legitimate, if
competing, interests. We come down unequivocally on the side of
responsible access. However, we absolutely reject the abuse of law as
a means of stifling expression. Those who argue that "If just one life
can be saved by curtailing the First Amendment a bit, then it's worth
it" somehow seem to miss the point: Public education and responsible
media reporting/dialogue are far better antidotes to the dangers
potentially harmful information than subverting the First Amendment to
suppress it.
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1993 14:18:59 EDT
From: IIRG Group <rune@world.std.com>
Subject: File 2--Thoughts on the Elansky Case - A Response
IIRG RESPONSE TO CuD 5.71 (File 1)
Presented By Mercenary - President/IIRG
In CuD 5.71 (File 1), there appears a letter by Alan Dunkin titled
"Law enforcement in the Elansky case". At this time we'd like to
express our feelings on the content of this letter.
Now Mr. Dunkin says, and we quote:
"The International Information Retrieval Guild (IIRG), which
Elansky belongs to, is trying to raise funds for bond. However,
it burned me to see the IIRG lines in file 3 of CuD issue 5.69:
"Buy His Freedom, Stop Government Censorship"
"If we do not stop the government in its attempts
to censor the public, we have abandoned what it
truly means to be a Freedom Loving American".
Government censorship really has nothing to do with the arrest,
was you claim it was the West Hartford Police Department, which
hardly qualifies to be the government. Plus, this is not
censorship, it's the police trying to protect the public."
Now apparently Mr. Dunkin seems to feel that the West Hartford Police
Department doesn't qualify as a valid branch of government.
Im sure they'll be happy to hear that.
Earlier in his letter he was quick to quote the Webster's Dictionary,
we'd like to advise him to flip to the definition of police.
Police - "The governmental department (of a city,state,etc.) organized
for keeping order and for preventing,detecting,and punishing
crimes."
This definition certainly looks like Government to us.
Mr. Dunkin also makes the statement that "this is not censorship,
it's the police trying to protect the public." Now this may be a nice
idea in theory, but lets look at the plain cold facts of the matter.
1. Mike was a BBS Sysop, with a clearly presented disclaimer
on his system that the files offered on the Ware House
were for Entertainment purposes only.
2. Who were the police protecting? Mike endangered no
individual or property, there were no "terrorist" acts
committed by any user of the Ware House. If the police had
simply asked him to remove any offensive files, We're sure
he would have Obliged. (Although this would be censorship
in itself)
3. Mike's bail is set at $500,000 dollars, the average
murderer in Connecticut receives a $100,000 bail and just
yesterday on Sep 13th, 2 bank robbers received a $250,000
bail. Mike has been approached by a TV program that wants
to air his side of the story. By making his bail so high
that it cannot be made, they are censoring him from
presenting his story.
4. When any governmental agency decides what is "acceptable"
to read, this is defined as censorship. And by arresting
Mike Elansky for having so called "questionable" text
files on his system. The West Hartford Police (a
Governmental Agency), is censoring a sysops rights of what
he may have online.
------------------------------
Date: 9 Sep 93 09:01:39 GMT
From: rhys@CS.UQ.OZ.AU(Rhys Weatherley)
Subject: File 3--Attitude TV show about hackers in Australia
On the 8th of September, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
broadcast an episode in their "Attitude" series of programs. This
episode concentrated on hackers, the cyberpunk movement, law enforcement,
cyberart, youth being empowered by technology, and lots of other things
(my memory fails me on all the details). As the CuD editors are always
on the lookout for perceptions of hackers by the media, I thought I'd
send this overview in. Other Aussies who saw the show may be able to
add to what I've said below, or correct my errors.
Basically, the show presented a fairly consistent angle on the hacker
issue. Unfortunately, its angle was the "cracker" aspect, which is what
we've come to expect from the media, sadly. It did touch on issues of
Freedom of Information, hacker ethics, and the interviews with convicted
or accused hackers were good. One of the hackers interviewed told a
familiar story for CuD readers: the police confiscated his equipment,
no charges have yet been laid, and he can't get his equipment back.
Others stated how easy it was to walk through systems.
The recent "Hacking at the End of the Universe" conference in the
Netherlands made an appearance, but computer-illiterate viewers would
be forgiven for thinking that this was a big cracker get together to
swap tips on breaking into systems. The difference between a hacker
of the old school and the cracker variety was never spelt out.
Here is your typical hacker profile as presented by the show: they
start their hacking life with a computer and a modem getting into
pirate bulletin boards downloading cracked games, and eventually
move onto the Internet. A hacker is playful and explorative by
nature.
A little bit of confusion between USENET and Internet got in, but it
was brief, and they seemed to want to talk about IRC more, probably
because real-time chatting is trendier than netnews. :-) The perception
I got of the Internet (if I hadn't known any better) was that it exists
for the exchange of hacker (i.e. cracker) material. *sigh*
They interviewed a cyberfeminist, who espoused the "male-dominated
network" view (I'm not on any side here: maybe it's true, maybe it
isn't). She and 3 friends are apparently working on a video game for
females. More power to them I say. Some cyberartists were also
interviewed ("Cyber Da Da" I think their name was: could be wrong).
Bruce Stirling was interviewed and made an interesting comment about law
enforcement attitudes (paraphrased): "if they have lots of computer
equipment, and a copy of Neuromancer, then they must be up to something".
Gee, I better burn my copy right now! :-) At one point, they did a
little bit of a "fast forward effect" on Bruce speaking (could have been
someone else): it made me wonder if some "good hacker" stuff was in the
fast forwarded section and was edited out.
The Australian Federal Police also got a look-in (also paraphrased):
"we may not bust down your door now, but we are just busy on other cases,
and we'll get around to you later". Another interviewed person made
the comment that hackers are usually one step ahead of law enforcement
because they can specialize, whereas law enforcement can't. Good comment.
Computer porn only got a brief 5 second slot, which was a relief considering
some of the newspaper stories that have been doing the rounds in Australia
recently. It still had the obligatory picture though.
All in all, I don't think the show did the network or the hacker communities
any real favours, but it wasn't overly militant about it either.
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 Sep 93 03:12:00 BST
From: grmeyer@GENIE.GEIS.COM
Subject: File 4--CuNews
If It's Blurry You Shouldn't Be Watching
========================================
A patented digital technology from VideoFreedom Systems (San Diego, CA)
may be the key to getting an intrusive Congress off their censorship
bandwagon. The technology would allow television (and movie theatres!)
to blur objectionable scenes and sounds. Much the same way the news
programs can distort the voice and image of a confidential source who wishes
to remain that way. The technology would allow those viewers who want to see
"the good parts" to clean-up the image to their tastes.
(Information Week August 16, 1993 pg 10)
Hackers Need Not Apply
======================
Information Week magazine recently conducted a "fax vote" self-selected
survey of readers. The questions asked about policies, thoughts, and
practices regarding hiring ex-hackers to help out with computer security.
Of the those who choose to respond, 15% said they had been approached for
a job by a hacker. Only 6% said they had ever hired a hacker to test
security. Of their concerns about doing so, over half said "they might
compromise security". About 35% expressed concerns over "legal
problems".
Some of the write-in comments included:
"Their crimes are difficult to prove and almost impossible to prosecute.
Not only do they go unpunished, but hiring them makes crime pay."
"What happened to our idea of ethics and morality? I don't believe only
felon hackers are smart enough to foolproof our computer systems."
"They could sell ideas back to your competitor. These people will do
anything for a buck".
Refer to Information Week, August 16, 1993 pg 29 for full details.
This Tag Line Meets Corporate Standards
=======================================
Duke Power Company (Charlotte, NC) has issued a memo to supervisors and
managers that forbids employees from expressing their religious or political
opinions over the company's Email, voice mail, or fax machines. The company
says the memo arises out of problems with people using 'tag lines' (short
sentences at the end of messages) on the company's Profs mail system. The
company did not forbid tag lines, but issued guidelines for their content.
According to the company few of its 18,000 employees see the rules as a
restriction of free speech.
(Information Week. August 16, 1993 pg 60)
Woodstock for Hackers and Phreaks
=================================
Newsweek magazine (Aug 16, 1993 pg 47) features a story on the End of The
Universe conference in the Netherlands. According the Information Week's
summary, the Newsweek article reports that attendees had at least one thing
in common with the Woodstock guests....they believe that rules were meant
to be broken. (IW's summary is on pg. 64, August 16, 1993)
Don't Copy That (Microsoft) Floppy!
===================================
Information Week reports that an article in the San Francisco paper THE
REVOLVER (Aug 9, pg 1) says some lawyers claim that Microsoft might enjoy
too much influence over federal prosecutors. It seems that an unusually
high number of cases against software pirates are launched on Microsoft's
behalf. The number is higher compared with Lotus or WordPerfect for example.
(Information Week. August 1, 1993. pg 64)
Feds file Kiddie-Porn charges
=============================
Charges have been brought against six people in an effort to shut down
an international child pornography ring. Dept of Justice officials allege
that the Bamse BBS, based in Denmark, offers a variety of child-related
porno in the form of graphics, text, and computer games.
(Computerworld. September 6, 1993. pg16)
20th Annual Computer Security Conference and Exhibition
=======================================================
The Computer Security Institute's conference will be held November 8 - 10,
1993 in Anaheim, California. The Anaheim Hilton and Towers is the site
for the meetings. Contact the C.S.I. at (415) 905-2626 for full details.
Some of the proceedings scheduled include:
Unix Security for Bert and Ernie
(Cheryl Jaksha, Coca-Cola Foods)
Identification and Protection of Computer Evidence
(Walter Manning, Techno Crime Services)
Horror Stories and How to Use Them
(Dan Erwin, Dow Chemical)
Security Awareness for the Unwilling
(Cheryl Jaksha, Coca-Cola Foods)
Information Security: The Human Dimension
(Vic Maconachy, Ph.D., US DoD)
The Golden Rule and Computer Viruses
(Genevieve Burns, Monsanto Company)
Why PBX Fraud Continues
(Ed Blackwell, Information Security Consultant)
Fax Security Facts
(Steve Skolochenko, US Postal Service)
Cryptographic Policy Issues
(F. Lynn McNulty, NIST)
Penetration Testing
(Richard W. Owen, Jr., Janus Software)
Please Deposit 25 cents for the next 64000 bytes
================================================
New York residents and companies might have to start paying a tax for using
on-line services. An amendment to the NY state budget added a 5% sales tax
to 900-number "phone sex" providers. Critics, however, say the law is so
vague that it may end up applying to on-line services and bulletin boards.
(Information Week. Sept 6, 1993 pg 14)
UK Data Protection Act
======================
Great Britain's data protection registrar is attempting to establish a
national policy concerning the types of information employers can retain,
and sell, about their employees. The investigation was spurred by a story
in the Times of London which claimed that banks, retailers, and insurance
firms stored information about their employees and customers sex lives
and voting records.
(Information Week. Sept 6, 1993 pg46)
------------------------------
From: "James I. Davis" <jdav@WELL.SF.CA.US>
Subject: File 5--CPSR Annual Meeting
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 1993 09:43:10 -0700
COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
ANNUAL MEETING
October 16 - 17, 1993
University of Washington, South Campus Center
Seattle, Washington, USA
Envisioning the Future:
A National Forum on the
National Information Infrastructure and Community Access
Co-sponsored by the American Society for Information Science
Pacific Northwest Chapter (ASIS-PNC)
************************************************************************
The National Information Infrastructure (NII) is the proposed medium or
"electronic highway" that will connect schools, libraries, government
agencies, and citizens using state-of-the-art computer and communications
technology. Media, computer, and telecommunications companies are also
acutely interested in the NII as it dramatically increases their
opportunity for delivery of communication, services, and entertainment.
CPSR is convening this meeting for both computer professionals and the
informed public to discuss the broad range of choices facing society
regarding the NII.
Saturday, October 16th
8:00 - 9:00 Registration/Coffee & Tea
9:00 - 9:15 Welcome to the CPSR Annual Meeting - Aki Namioka
9:15 - 10:15 Keynote Address - Bruce McConnell,
Office of Management and Budget
"Shaping National Information Infrastructure Policy"
Bruce McConnell, Chief of Information Policy at the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs in the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), will present his views on the major NII issues now
facing the administration. He has been with OMB since 1985 and
became head of Information Policy in 1992. He now chairs the
inter-agency task force responsible for developing federal
information policy for the Information Infrastructure Task Force.
10:15 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 12:15 Panel Discussion - Moderated by Eric Roberts
"Public Access to Internetworks"
Public access to the Internet (and other major networks) is a critical
issue in any discussion about an "electronic highway". Panelists
representing a wide variety of perspectives, including representatives
from the Pacific Northwest, will present their views.
Panelists:
Phil Bereano, College of Engineering, University of Washington
Eric Hood, NorthWestNet
Kenneth Kay, Computer Science Policy Project
Jim Taylor, Coordinator Automated Services, Seattle Public Library
12:15 - 1:45 Lunch Break
1:45 - 3:00 Panel Discussion - Moderated by Andrew Gordon
"Municipal Information Infrastructure"
City and other government agencies are exploring possibilities for
developing municipal networks. In this panel a city official as well as a
representative from the state regulatory agency and a representative of
commercial interests will offer their insights and interests.
Panelists:
Joe Hommel - Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission
A representative from the Department of Administrative Services for
the City of Seattle
3:00 - 4:30 Panel Discussion - Moderated by Doug Schuler
"Networking in the Community"
Community networks exist and are being developed all over the U.S.
Panelists from various community networks will present their
perspectives on the state of community networking now and in the future.
Panelists:
Tom Grundner, National Public Telecomputing Network
Parker Lindner, New Media Matters
Evelyn Pine, CPSR/Berkeley member and former Executive Director of the
Community Memory Project
Roy Sahali, CLAMDYP (Computing Literacy and Access Making a Difference for
Youth Projects)
4:30 - 4:45 Break
4:45 - 6:15 Panel Discussion - Moderated by Marc Rotenberg
"Computers and Democracy - What's the Connection?"
How might computers facilitate the democratic process? How might they
pervert it? "Electronic Democracy" is currently in the public eye and
aspects of it will probably be tested soon. What can be done to promote
wise uses of computers in this critical area?
Panelists:
Jeff Chester, Center for Media Education
Jamie Love, Taxpayers Assets Project
Leah Lievrouw, Department of Telecommunication and Film,
University of Alabama
6:15 - 6:30 Closing Remarks - Jeff Johnson
************************************************************************
7:00 - 7:30 No Host Bar at Banquet Site
7:30 CPSR Banquet - Fundraiser - Waterfront Activities Center
(Vegetarian food will be available)
+ Presentation of the 1993 Norbert Wiener Award to The Institute
for Global Communications (IGC)
Presenter: Eric Roberts
The CPSR Board of Directors has chosen to award the 1993 Wiener
Award to IGC in recognition of the work the organization has done to
use network technology to empower previously disenfranchised
individuals and groups working for progressive change. Geoff Sears,
IGC's Executive Director, will be present to accept the award.
+ Banquet Address and Interactive Event - Kit Galloway, Electronic
Cafe International
Kit Galloway of Electronic Cafe International in Santa Monica,
California will present his innovative approach to electronic
communication using phone lines, slow-scan television, and other
technology. Using videotapes and a live demonstration with CPSR
chapters in Los Angeles and other locations, Kit will discus how the
Electronic Cafe concept has been used in a variety of settings.
Electronic Cafe International has staged global events with poets,
children, and communities in France, Nicaragua, Japan, as well as a
variety of American cities.
Be sure to attend the banquet and participate in this provocative
encounter with multimedia community networks !!
************************************************************************
Sunday, October 17th
The second day of the conference will feature a more interactive format
including several workshops, a discussion of CPSR's NII vision, and
a special - free and open to the public - panel discussion on "Privacy
Implications of Health Care Reform" Sunday evening.
8:30 - 9:30 Coffee & Tea
9:30 - 11:30 Workshop Sessions
Gender Relations in Networking
- Judi Clark
Information Policy: A Framework for Action
- Karen Sy
Computer Professionals and Social Action
- Jeff Johnson
11:30 - 1:00 Lunch Break
1:00 - 2:30 CPSR Discussion
2:30 - 3:00 Break
3:00 - 4:30 CPSR NII Vision Document Discussion - Moderated by Todd Newman
4:30 - 5:00 Closing Remarks - Future CPSR NII Program - Marc Rotenberg
7:30 - 9:30 Special Panel Discussion
"Health Care Reform and the National Information
Infrastructure: Opportunities and Risks"
This special event is free and open to the public.
Kane 210, University of Washington
************************************************************************
ABOUT CPSR
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility stands alone as the only
national, non-partisan, public-interest organization dedicated to
understanding and directing the impact of computers on society. Decisions
regarding the use of this technology have far-reaching consequences that
necessarily reflect the basic values and priorities of the people who govern
their use.
Founded in 1981, CPSR has 2000 members from all over the world and 22
chapters across the country. Each of our members is an important participant
in the dialogue that is helping to shape the future use of computers in the
United States. Our National Advisory Board includes one Nobel laureate and
three winners of the Turing Award, the highest honor in computer science.
We believe that as the influence of computers continues to permeate every
aspect of our society, it is important that professionals become active
participants in formulating the policy that governs computer use and access.
CPSR welcomes any and all who share our convictions.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Registration Form
Please pre-register by September 30 to guarantee seating. Registrations at
the door will be accepted pending space.
Name _________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________
City _______________________________ State _____________ Zip _________
Telephone __________________________ E-mail_____________________________
CPSR member $55 _______
Non member $75 _______
1 year CPSR membership & registration $100 _______
Low income/student $25 _______
Banquet ticket $40 X ___ = _______
Additional donation to further CPSR's work _______
Total enclosed _______
For more information contact CPSR, 415-322-3778, draper@csli.stanford.edu,
or Aki Namioka, 206-865-3249, aki@cpsr.org. Send completed registration
form with check to: CPSR, P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, CA 94301
------------------------------
End of Computer Underground Digest #5.72
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