Computer underground Digest Sun May 1, 1994 Volume 6 : Issue 39 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 Suspercollater: Shrdlu Nooseman CONTENTS, #6.39 (May 1, 1994) File 1--Having Problems Receiving CuD on the Mailing List? File 2--Clipper Petition Delivered to White House File 3--"Child Abuse in Cyberspace" (Newsweek story) File 4--New Electronic Privacy Group Formed File 5--Call for Papersfor WORKSIMS '94 File 6--GovAccess.033-Congrss lists; NY & CA Legis; LWV; Rural Data File 7--Researcher Requests Responses (Survey) Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are available at no cost electronically. CuD is available as a Usenet newsgroup: comp.society.cu-digest Or, to subscribe, send a one-line message: SUB CUDIGEST your name Send it to LISTSERV@UIUCVMD.BITNET or LISTSERV@VMD.CSO.UIUC.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, USA. Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest news group; on CompuServe in DL0 and DL4 of the IBMBBS SIG, DL1 of 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 RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020 (and via Ripco on internet); and on Rune Stone BBS (IIRGWHQ) (203) 832-8441. CuD is also available via Fidonet File Request from 1:11/70; unlisted nodes and points welcome. EUROPE: from the ComNet in LUXEMBOURG BBS (++352) 466893; In ITALY: Bits against the Empire BBS: +39-461-980493 FTP: UNITED STATES: etext.archive.umich.edu (141.211.164.18) in /pub/CuD/ aql.gatech.edu (128.61.10.53) in /pub/eff/cud/ EUROPE: nic.funet.fi in pub/doc/cud/ (Finland) ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud/ (United Kingdom) JAPAN: ftp.glocom.ac.jp /mirror/ftp.eff.org/ COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted for non-profit as long as the source is cited. Authors hold a presumptive copyright, and they should be contacted for reprint permission. It is assumed that non-personal mail to the moderators may be reprinted unless otherwise specified. Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles relating to computer culture and communication. Articles are preferred to short responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts unless absolutely necessary. DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent the views of the moderators. Digest contributors assume all responsibility for ensuring that articles submitted do not violate copyright protections. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 30 Apr, 1994 21:21:34 EDT From: CuD Moderators Subject: File 1--Having Problems Receiving CuD on the Mailing List? If you've requested a mail subscription to CuD and have received acknowledgement of the request but have received no CuDs since, it means that the your address is part of a small distribution problem affecting about 8 percent of the list. To rectify the problem, drop a one-line note that says: SEPARATE LIST in the subject header and in the one-line message: SEPARATE LIST We *STRONLY* prefer that readers obtain CuD from the Usenet group comp.society.cu-digest The ftp sites (see addresses in the header) are also easy ways to obtain CuD for those with ftp access. The mailing list constitutes only about two percent of the readership, but is sufficiently large (3,500) that maintaining the list is rather labor-intensive. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 17:12:07 +0000 From: CPSR National Office Subject: File 2--Clipper Petition Delivered to White House CPSR PRESS RELEASE Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility P.O. Box 717 Palo Alto, CA 94301 415-322-3778 (voice) 415-322-4748 (fax) cpsr@cpsr.org "CLIPPER" PETITION DELIVERED TO WHITE HOUSE COMPUTER USERS CALL ON ADMINISTRATION TO DROP ENCODING PLAN NEW PRIVACY CENTER ESTABLISHED Washington, DC -- A national public interest organization today delivered to the White House a petition asking for withdrawal of the controversial Clipper cryptography proposal. The Clipper plan would provide government agents with copies of the keys used to encoded electronic messages. The petition was signed by more than 47,000 users of the nation's data highway. The petition drive occurred entirely across the Internet. It is the largest electronic petition to date. Earlier this year, the White House announced support for the Clipper proposal. But the plan has received almost unanimous criticism from the public. A Time/CNN found that 80% of the American public opposed Clipper. Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility began the petition drive in January. In the letter addressed to the President, the organization said that if Clipper goes forward, "privacy protection will be diminished, innovation will be slowed, government accountability will be lessened, and the openness necessary to ensure the successful development of the nation's communications infrastructure will be threatened." The petition asks for the withdrawal of Clipper. It is signed by many of the nation's leading cryptographers including Whitfield Diffie, Martin Hellman, and Ronald Rivest. Users from nearly 3,000 different sites across the Internet are represented. Responses came from more than 1300 companies including Microsoft, IBM, Apple, DEC, GE, Cray, Tandem, Sun, SGI, Mead Data Central, AT&T, and Stratus. Signatures also came from more than 850 colleges and universities and 150 non-profit organizations. Many responses came from public networks such as America Online and Compuserve. Nearly a thousand came from government and military sites including NASA, the Army and the Navy. Next week hearings will be held in Congress on the controversial cryptography proposal, an initiative developed by the FBI and the National Security Agency. Most of the witnesses are expected to testify against the plan. In a related development, the establishment of the Electronic Privacy Information Center was announced today. EPIC is jointly sponsored by CPSR and the Fund for Constitutional Government. It will focus on emerging privacy issues surrounding the information data highway. [see accompanying release]. CPSR is national membership organization, based in Palo Alto, California. For more information about CPSR, contact CPSR, P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, CA 94302. 415 322 3778 (tel) 415 322 4748 (fax) cpsr@cpsr.org (email). ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1994 22:01:33 CDT From: CuD Moderators Subject: File 3--"Child Abuse in Cyberspace" (Newsweek story) ((MODERATORS' NOTE: A recent Newsweek article dramatizing Net-pedophile predators conflates pornography, pedophilia, and child porn to create an over-dramatized fright piece. Readers of the full article, of which we only summarize below, will note that it is short on fact, long on inference)). "Child Abuse in Cyberspace: Police target on-line pedophiles" NEWSWEEK, April 18, 1994 (p. 40) By Barbara Kantrowitz (with Patricia King and Debra Rosenberg) The story begins with a description of a Chelmsford, Mass., BBS sysop, John Rex, Jr, a 23 year-old engineering student. Police found two pet pythons, 3,000 arms of ammunition, explosives, bomb manuals, and 43 videotapes, "many of them either pornographic or about child molesters." Prosecutors charge that Rex used his network to recruit teenagers who could help hm abduct a small boy. Officials say Rex wanted to sexually abuse the child--and possibilty kill and eat him. According to chilling details recorded in court papers, a teenager says that Rex told him that he almost grabbed a child himself at a New Hampshire mall recently when he saw a small boy going into a bathroom alone. Last week Rex pleaded not guilty to various child-abuse and pornography charges; he is being held on $2 million surety bail. Although the computer links to the above incident seem minimal, the story quotes law enforcement officials who warn of pedophiles on the nets. Without supporting evidence or anecdotes, the story claims: Many of the young victims are latchkey kids, home alone all afternoon with only a computer screen for company. The story continues with the case of Donald Deatherage, 27, of Cupertino, Calif. Deatherage, known as "HeadShaver" on America Online, was accused by police of using his computer to prey on a 14-year old boy with whom he had struck up an on-line conversation. Deatherage was accused of eventually meeting the youth, handcuffing, shackling, and blindfolding him, and spanking him with a leather belt (among other more serious acts). The story alludes to "Operation Longarm," last year's US Custom's raid of 35 alleged U.S. computer users who were downloading child pornography from Sweden. The authors also allude to the ease by which youth can obtain pornography, and claim that police are "technologically outgunned" in the battle against electronic pedophiles. Perhaps Net pedophiles are more common that we believe. But, judging from actual instances, it's rare. Although we strongly advocate alerting parents to on-line dangers that children face, we oppose the hyperbole that passes for "news" in the major media. The paucity and twisting of facts presented in the Newsweek story and the linking of pedophiles and "pornography" reflect the hysterical image-making that passes of "journalism" among much of the media. The authors do conclude with one final point that CuD has emphasized in the past: Parents should be made aware of dangers of all kinds in cyberspace and educate their children accordingly. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 17:02:33 +0000 From: Dave Banisar Subject: File 4--New Electronic Privacy Group Formed EPIC Press Release Electronic Privacy Information Center 666 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 301 Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-9240 (tel) (202) 547-5482 (fax) epic@cpsr.org (email) April 29, 1994 NEW PRIVACY CENTER ESTABLISHED EPIC TO MONITOR DATA HIGHWAY WASHINGTON, DC -- A new organization was launched today to address growing public concerns about privacy protection for the national information infrastructure. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) will focus on emerging threats to personal privacy. Among the threats are the government's controversial Clipper computer encryption proposal, which has caused widespread protests from companies and computer users around the world. Proposals for an information superhighway and recent plans to reform the nation's health care system also involve significant threats to personal privacy. "We have established EPIC to focus public attention on these new privacy issues -- the Clipper Chip, the Digital Telephony Proposal, medical record privacy, and the sale of consumer data." said Marc Rotenberg, director of EPIC. A 1993 poll by the Lou Harris organization found 80 percent of Americans concerned about threats to their privacy. More than two thirds believe they have lost all control over personal information. Still, 70 percent believe that privacy is a fundamental right comparable to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," and a clear majority of Americans favor establishment of a privacy agency within the government. EPIC brings together an unprecedented group of experts from computer science, information law, civil liberties, human rights, public interest advocacy, library and research communities, as well as privacy experts and scholars. Among the members of the EPIC Advisory Board is former Congressman and Presidential candidate John B. Anderson. Mr. Anderson said today at a Capitol Hill press conference he was very pleased by the establishment of the new organization. "Privacy is one of the bedrock American values. EPIC will help ensure that privacy is protected in the information age," said Mr. Anderson. Simon Davies, the Director General of Privacy International, welcomed the launch of EPIC. Speaking from London, England today he said, "EPIC is an exciting initiative on the leading edge of privacy protection. My hope is that EPIC will be the forerunner of many such organizations around the world." EPIC is a joint project of the Fund for Constitutional Government and Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. FCG is a non-profit charitable organization established in 1974 to protect civil liberties and constitutional rights. CPSR is a national membership organization established in 1982 by professionals in the computing field concerned about the social impact of computer technology. For more information contact EPIC, 666 Pennsylvania Ave., SE Suite 301, Washington, DC 20003. 202 544 9240 (tel), 202 547 5482 (fax) epic@cpsr.org (email). Current materials include a program description and list of Frequently Asked Questions about EPIC. Marc Rotenberg, EPIC Director David L. Sobel, Legal Counsel Dave Banisar, Policy Analyst ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 22 Apr 1994 14:32:31 +0700 (GMT+0700) From: Shaunak Ashtaputre Subject: File 5--Call for Papersfor WORKSIMS '94 CALL FOR PAPERS WORKSIMS'94 International Workshop on SIMULATION IN MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ------------------------------------ NOVEMBER 9 -11, 1994 Asian Institute of Technology Bangkok, Thailand International Advisory Committee: Dr. Eiji Arai, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan Dr.-Ing. M. Sc. Bernd-Dietmar Becker, IPA FhG, FRG Prof. Robert D. Dryden, Virginia Tech, USA Prof. Paul Fishwick, University Florida, USA Dr. P.W. Udo Graefe, National research Council, Canada Dr. Timothy J. Greene, Oklahoma State University, USA Prof. L. Gerhardt, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA Dr. Jan Goossenaerts, The University of Tokyo, Japan Prof. Dr.-Ing. Bernd E. Hirsch, BIBA, FRG Prof. Chin-Fu Ho, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Taiwan Prof. Hyun, KAIST, Korea Dr. Branko Katalinic, Wien, Austria Prof. A. Kuhn, FhG, IML, FRG Prof. Andrew Kusiak, University of Iowa, USA Prof. Lennie Lim, GINTIC,NTU, Singapore Dr.-Ing. Kai Mertins, IPK, FRG Prof. Susumu Morito, Waseda University, Japan Dr. D.P.N. Murty, University of Queensland, Australia Dr. H. Paul, Waikato University, New Zealand Dr. P. G. Ranky, University of East London, UK Prof. Umeda, University of Tokyo, Japan Prof. K. K. Wang, Cornell University, USA Dr. G. B. Williams, University of Birmingham, UK Organizing and Technical Program Committee: Dr. D.N. Batanov, Asian Institute of Technology Ir. Erik Bohez, Asian Institute of Technology Prof. O. Fujiwara, Asian Institute of Technology Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kuehn, Asian Institute of Technology Dr. N.N. Nagarur, Asian Institute of Technology Prof. H. Pastijn, Asian Institute of Technology Prof. P.C. Pandey, Asian Institute of Technology Prof. A. B. Sharma, Asian Institute of Technology Prof. Kripa Shanker, Indian Institute of Technology, India Prof. M.T. Tabucanon, Asian Institute of Technology WORKSIMS '94, November 9-11, AIT, Bangkok The International Workshop on Simulation in Manufacturing Systems will be held in Bangkok from November 9 - 11, 1994. The workshop is intended to provide a forum for academic researchers and professionals in the fields of manufacturing to exchange and discuss technical knowledge and experiences for further advances of the field. The focus of the forum will thus be on applications and theory in the field of manufacturing simulation. Scope: Papers of original work in but not limited to the following topics and research areas are invited: - New modelling concepts and techniques - Simulation and optimization - Parallel simulation - Artificial intelligence in simulation - System integration - Software tools - Manufacturing applications and case studies - Enterprise integration - Case studies Submission Guidelines: The working language of the workshop is English. All correspondence should be in English. Abstracts: The abstracts submitted should be structured as follows: - Title of the paper - Author(s) - Communication address, Fax, email, etc. - Broad classification according to topic - Upto five keywords - References A typical figure and/or some basic equations may also be included. Papers: Papers should describe the work in detail. On acceptance of the paper an autor kit will be sent for preparing the camera ready version of the paper. The length of the paper must at the most be six pages. Papers exceeding this limit will be charged $100 per page towards publishing. Registration fee structure: US$ 380 for participants and speakers registering latest by 30 Sept. 1994 US$ 450 for participants and speakers registering after 1 Oct.1994 Registration: Participants will be required to register upon notification of acceptance of their papers on or before the early registration date. Papers will be published in the workshop proceedings only if at least one of the authors is officially registered and personally presents the paper at the workshop. Exhibitions and demonstrations: The program committee is inviting exhibition of the products related to the theme of WORKSIMS'94. Information to interested parties will be available on request. Invited Sessions: Proposals for invited sessions and tutorials focusing on the new trends and developing technologies relevant to WORKSIMS'94 are welcome. The proposals should be submitted in detail to the chairpersons latest by May 15, 1994. Important dates and deadlines: 15 May 1994 Receipt of abstracts 30 June 1994 Notification of acceptance 3 August 1994 Receipt of camera ready manuscripts 30 September 1994 Early registration deadline All communications should be directed to either chairperson: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr.-Ing. Wolfgang Kuehn Dr. Nagen N. Nagarur Tel: (66-2) 524-5678 Tel: (66-2) 524-5683 Asian Institute of Technology, School of Advanced Technologies, IEM Program, P.O. Box 2754, Bangkok 10501, Thailand Fax: (66-2) 524-5697; 516-2126; 516-5118 Email: symsys@emailhost.ait.ac.th ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 22:31:04 -0700 From: Jim Warren Subject: File 6--GovAccess.033-Congrss lists; NY & CA Legis; LWV; Rural Data Apr.17, 1994 WHEN EMAILING NOTES TO LEGISLATORS, SEND THE VERY BEST When sending emailed support or opposition statements to state or federal legislators, please be sure to make them reasonably formal and be sure to include your name, title, organization-if-any, snailmail address and voice-phone. Reasons: Your statements - especially those sent to a bill-author indicating your *support* - will typically be printed out and distributed in a packet to other legislators and their staff who will next be considering the bill in which you are interested. In the case of statements *opposing* a bill ... hmmm, it'd be best to send them to a legislator known to be opposing the bill. Less chance for them to be, uh, misplaced, and a greater chance for them to be circulated to other key legislators and staffers. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& CONTACT LIST OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS, PLUS GOVT-REFORM FILES, ALL BY FTP From croberts@crl.com Thu Apr 7 16:38:33 1994 From: Char Roberts Jim, I have a list of the members of the 103rd Congress, their states, party affiliation, phone and fax numbers on my personal ftp site which I have made available to other groups already. It is from the Jan. 1993 US Congress Yellow Book but has been gradually updated as people send in corrections for their own congresscritters. ... Please feel free to advertise the location in the GovAccess newsletter. Note that my ftp site is read-only, so anything which is put there has to be e-mailed to me first. Also please note that I have LIMITED storage so I am not embarrassed to be quite dictatorial about what goes there! (I also remove stuff whenever it has become stale in my own humble opinion!). I'm using my ftp site mostly for government-reform related files. Usually the file names are self-explanatory. Feel free to browse. The congresscritter list I have is called congfone.txt. ftp CRL.com login: anonymous password: your e-mail address cd /users/ro/croberts ls (or dir) to display list/directory of files get [desired filename] [filename] [filename] [etc] quit Note that file names are case sensitive so type carefully. --Char &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& GOPHER AND TELNET ACCESS TO CALIFORNIA LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION From watkins@scilibx.UCSC.EDU Thu Apr 7 09:04:09 1994 From: Steve Watkins some of the items mentioned in past postings are also already available via InfoSlug (the guide to retrieving legislative information, for instance). The InfoSlug Gopher server is at gopher.ucsc.edu for those who have access to their own Gopher clients, but we also offer open access via Telnet to infoslug.ucsc.edu using infoslug as the login. This might be an easier way for people to get at some of these files rather than having to FTP them. Steve Watkins Science Library University of California, Santa Cruz watkins@scilibx.ucsc.edu &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& EFFORTS TO OPEN UP NEW YORK STATE'S LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION From: Reg Neale Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 13:50:24 EDT At the suggestion of another activist netter, I am writing to you to alert you to new developments in our effort to get New York State's public legislative information online. The NY legislature does collect, organize and maintain computerized legislative information, including text of bills, member's voting records etc. However, this information is not freely available to the public. Instead, it is provided to a captive commercial firm which sells it to special-interest groups, at prices ordinary citizens cannot afford. A bill was just introduced in the NY Assembly to make public information freely and timely available, via "the most-accessible and least-cost public network" i.e., the Internet. Bill A10035 was referred to the Assembly's Governmental Operations Committee, where it is certain to die unless there is a massive input from concerned citizens. Any New Yorkers reading this should call or write their assemblyperson to urge immediate action on this bill. It could also be helpful to contact these two individuals: Assemblyman Samuel Colman, Chairman Governmental Operations Committee Room 731 Legislative Office Building Albany NY 12248 518-455-5118 voice 518-455-5119 fax David W. Keiper, Commissioner Legislative Bill Drafting Commission Room 301 Capitol Building Albany NY 12247 518-455-7500 CIS 71075,2006 [Internet: 71075.2006@compuserve.com] Voice your support for public access to legislative information. If you know of anyone who should be involved in this effort, or if you know of another appropriate place to post this message, please contact me. Reginald Neale, Sec'y, Citizens for Open Access to Legislation (C.O.A.L.) 716-263-7864 day 716-924-7481 eve [ Forwarded by Stanton McCandlish Fri Apr 8 13:00:47 1994, who added: Don't just talk, DO SOMETHING. I'm aware of at least 2 civil-liberties- favoring state bills that have failed just recently, in both cases due to lack of public input. Activism got a bill very similar to this one passed in CA last year, and it can work in NY too. See ftp.eff.org: /pub/EFF/Issues/ Activism/* for more info on this type of thing. If the legislation is available to us, it will be archived at ftp.eff.org: /pub/EFF/Legislation/ Foreign_and_local/NY/, so check periodically. Those in the NY area, please spread the work on ny.* newsgroups, local BBSs, apropos mailing lists, etc. ] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OFFERS ONLINE INFO, BUT INITIALLY ONLY ON COMPU$ERVE From fpack@crl.com Sun Apr 10 03:17:10 1994 From: Fran Packard Jim, Thought you may be interested to know that the League of Women Voters of California is conducting an online Election Services project on CompuServe. It includes asking participants in our message forum to submit questions for the statewide candidates. In keeping with our traditional ways of providing information about candiates, all those running for the same office will receive the same questions. We're requesting that the candidates respond in writing and on disk. Their answers will be posted in the League library (League/Voters CA) in the California forum. Fran Packard or <73162.3025@compuserve.com> [ This is a delightful first step. But it will *really* be valuable when it's posted for free global access via the *bit* net - the Internet - in one or several ftp sites, including permission to freely repost and re-circulate. While only to CI$, its potential citizen-audience and user-base is severely limited. Keep up the good work - and spread it beyond the CI$ elite. :-) By the way, I understand that the state President of the California LWV is Marlys Robertson, mrobertson@aol.com . --jim ] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& SOUTH CAROLINA MOVE TO GET STATE LEGISLATIVE DATA ONLINE From: glennb7490@aol.com Jim, I receive your Government Access Newsletter and am using your info to try to start a similar movement here in SC. ... Thanks for all you're doing to help restore openness in our governments. You're making a difference. Keep up the good work. Peace, Glenn Busbin &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& CONFERENCE ON RURAL DATAFICATION From shaffer@CIC.Net Fri Apr 8 09:58:11 1994 From: Kimberly Shaffer Second Annual Conference on Rural Datafication May 23-24, 1994 Hyatt Regency Minneapolis Minneapolis, MN Come for practical information you can put to work in your community. Meet people who are learning how to solve the problems of bringing the Internet to underserved areas. Share your successes and horror stories! This years Rural Datafication conference begins with a day of Internet workshops designed to help you navigate your way on the Information highway. The conference follows with a day and a half of useful presentations and breakout sessions. [extensive program details deleted --jim] The conference fee is $99 if paid before April 30, 1994, $125 if paid after April 30. The conference fee includes all Sunday workshops, Monday and Tuesday conference sessions, lunch on Sunday and Monday, and Sunday and Monday receptions and entertainment. ... To register for the conference and workshops, contact CICNet, at 313-998-6103 or 800-947-4754 and ask for a copy of the registration materials. Registration will not be accepted via email. Or send a message to epps@cic.net or ruraldata-info-request@cic.net . The Rural Datafication project and conference are sponsored by: CICNet, INDNet, IREN, MichNet, MRNet, netILLINOIS, NYSERNet, PREPnet, WiscNet, and WVNET. And is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& WHAT OUR FEDERAL LEGISLATORS GET THAT WE CAN'T GET AND WHY From glennb7490@aol.com Fri Apr 8 11:20:41 1994 Xxx asked me to send you a copy of a message I sent her. It's self-explanatory. ... >... I was talking with my congresscritter's office today ... and >remembered what ... about the members of the HORs and >Sinate using our tax money to buy info from LEGI-SLATE. I >asked the staffer (a sysop or something) about that. She said >that was correct, and that the services they use in that office >are LEGIS (the in-house system) and the Roll Call AM and PM >editions. The sinate uses, I think, LEGI-SLATE. She didn't know >how much this costs or if there is any way you or I could track >legislation without paying a third party. She told me to go to >the library and read Congressional Quarterly each week. >Phhhhtttt. LEGIS is not available for public use because, as >she said, "someone might use it to get into a congressman's >computer". Balderdash. I tried to explain to her that I >appreciated the need for a secure system, but that didn't >preclude the public's right to access info directly so that we >can keep an eye on things without paying expensive thirds >parties for what is OUR stuff. She stuck to her guns about >security, but promised to look into the subject and call me >next week to let me know what, if anything, can be done to >allow us to track bills via computer. I'm writing her a letter >telling her about the legislation introduced in CA and MN which >opens these state governments to public access. I think I'll >also send a couple of interesting addresses to her while I'm at >it. NASA and the White Sands Missle Range ought to do it. They >need security, but not so much that we can't get SOME info out >of their computers. Do you have any addresses that would >impress her? FBI or CIA or IRS? ... [To which the recipient responded:] ... What a hoot! Some evil taxpayer might use LEGIS to hack a congressman's computer! Yes, indeed, we must make the U.S. government and every legislator SECURE from the constituents! I wish I could give you a list of addresses which would singe that staffer's eyebrows - how about the CIA World Fact Book? Nah. There's a listserver for NATO data... Nah. There's president@whitehouse.gov... Hah! That's the one I got into a flap with over the altered documents they put there. Not too impressive. Actually, there is a lot of government information all over the Internet but most of it seems to be in university archives. The country's college political science and economics departments don't seem too worried about "security." ... I'd like you to send [GovAccess] the story you just sent me. I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry! ... [ As to addresses illustrating that perhaps Members of Congress would remain safe even if the public had Internet access to the public's Congressional information, how about dockmaster.ncsc.mil (the National Security Agency's public Internet host)? Or maybe even hr.house.gov via which 16 House Members and two House committees have public Internet addresses? --jim] &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& ONLINE PUBLIC POLICY FORUM & NOTICES From clif0005@gold.tc.umn.edu Wed Feb 23 10:27:15 1994 From: "Steven L Clift" PUBPOL-L is an electronic forum for graduate students, professionals, faculty, and staff in the fields of public policy, public administration, planning, and other related areas. The topics covered in postings include current public policy issues, events and conferences, research, teaching, curriculum and courses, employment and career opportunities, activities of public policy practitioners, and other topics of interest. PUBPOL-L encourages the electronic posting of newsletters, conference notices, and other text normally distributed in paper form by public policy schools and their centers or programs, government agencies, or public-sector oriented organizations. In the near future materials posted to PUBPOL-L will also be available via Gopher at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. The gopher is located at - next1.acs.umn.edu port: 3340. NEW DISCUSSION LIST: PUBPOL-D is a forum dedicated to open, serious, and substantial discussion of public policy issues and for extended comment on items posted to PUBPOL-L. To SUBSCRIBE address your message to: LISTSERV@VM1.SPCS.UMN.EDU or LISTSERV@UMINN1.BITNET In the text portion write: Subscribe PUBPOL-L Your Name For example: Subscribe PUBPOL-L Susan Smith TO SUBSCRIBE TO BOTH PUBPOL-L and PUBPOL-D: Subscribe PUBPOL-L Your Name Subscribe PUBPOL-D Your Name ... *::Steven:L.Clift::::::::::::::::::::::clif0005@gold.tc.umn.edu::# #::Moderator,:Public:Policy Network:(PUBPOL-L):::::::::::::::::::* *::Hubert:H.:Humphrey:Institute:of:Public:Affairs::::::::::::::::# #::University:of:Minnesota, Minneapolis,:MN:55455::::::::::::::::* *::(612):824-3747:::::::::(612):625-6351:fax:::::::::::::::::::::# ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 29 Apr 1994 16:12:38 -0700 From: GATTIKER@CETUS.MNGT.ULETH.CA Subject: File 7--Researcher Requests Responses (Survey) ((MODERATORS' NOTE: We periodically run short surveys or other requests for research material. In return, the posters agree to share summaries of their findings with us)) Dear Colleague/Participant: The following survey is part of a project I am conducting on computer technology and its use. I would appreciate every computer user who reads this message taking a few minutes to answer and return the survey via e-mail and/or "snail mail". All responses will remain strictly confidential. Thanks for SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE with us on this project! Prof. Urs E. Gattiker, Centre for Technology Studies, Faculty of Mgmt, The Univ. of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, CANADA; Tel: (403) 320-6966 (Mountain-Standard-Time, every morning); E-Mail: GATTIKER@CETUS.MNGT.ULETH.CA IF YOU WISH, you can forward this survey to other lists or fellow users. If your online editor __wraps the lines around__ or if it will not fill in blanks without moving copy around, please download to your wordprocessor (takes about 1-5 min). Before uploading the survey in ASCII/Dos format, please make sure that the file is in 10 Pitch Courier. You can also ask for another copy from the address above. ================================================================ Please return this completed survey to Urs E. Gattiker by: May 28, 1994 #SU4CcDigestMLusaNAF___________ (for computer use only) THE COMPUTER RESEARCH PROGRAM The following questions concern the type and extensiveness of technology and software used. Answer on the basis of your personal profile. There are no correct or incorrect answers. TECHNOLOGY [Please circle or mark one code # (e.g., _1_ or "1" or ~1~)or enter an absolute value (e.g., # of years) for each question] 1. How many years have you worked/played with computers? # ____ years 2. Do you have a personal computer at home? No.....0 Yes.....1 3. Do you use a modem or network connection for computer-mediated communication purposes such as remote log-in to another computer, e-mail or accessing a bulletin board (BB)? No.....0 Yes.....1 4. Have you had a close friend/colleague who experienced software/hardware problems or damage due to a computer virus within the last year? No.....0 Yes.....1 5. Are you a subscriber/member of a bulletin board (BB) and/or electronic discussion list/newsletter or listserver (EDL)? No .....0 If yes, # ____ of years 6. Have you ever received information through an EDL or a BB whose content you considered in bad taste within the last year? No.....0 Yes.....1 7. Have you ever received information through an EDL or a BB whose content you believed should be banned from the EDL/BB within the last year? No.....0 Yes.....1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- For the next 3 Situations, pretend that you are a bystander directly observing each situation. When answering, please try to think about how you would react, feel, and behave as a bystander in each situation. SITUATION 1 One of your friends is a technical whiz and has just developed a new data encryption device (i.e. similar to a phone scrambler the device helps to protect conversations against wiretapping) and software. Your friend quickly demonstrates how the device works by sending an encrypted message to you. Your subsequent decoding efforts fail, illustrating that the encryption device does its job very well. You and your friend then proceed to install this device and software on both of your machines for utilisation when communicating with each other. [Please circle or mark one code # (e.g., _1_ or "1" or ~1~) or enter an absolute value (e.g., # of years) or type your answer in CAPITAL LETTERS for each question] 8a. What do you think about this situation (encrypting your data sent/received with a privately developed device & software)? Very wrong.... 2 A little wrong.....1 Perfectly okay.....0 8b. Is anyone hurt by what you did? No.....0 Yes....1 If Yes, Who/Person_______________________________ How_______________________________ 8c. Imagine that you actually saw someone using an encryption program he/she developed for data transfer from his/her PC. Would you feel bothered.....0 not care.....1 think this is good.....2 8d. Should the person be stopped? No.....0 Yes....1 8e. Should the person be punished? No.....0 Yes....1 Suppose you learn about two different countries. In country A, people using privately developed encryption devices for computers are quite common, and in country B, one never uses privately developed encryption devices. 8f. Which one of these customs [if either] is bad or wrong? Both customs are wrong.....3 Country A's custom is wrong.....2 Country B's custom is wrong.....1 Neither one, both customs are okay.....0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SITUATION 2 One of your friends is a real computer nut and has just written a new computer virus. Your friend then proceeds to post the virus program onto a BB or an electronic newsletter/listserver (EDL). 9a. What do you think about this situation (posting a computer virus one wrote onto a BB or EDL)? Very wrong.....2 A little wrong.....1 Perfectly okay.....0 9b. Is anyone hurt by what your friend did? No.....0 Yes....1 If Yes, Who/Person_______________________________ How_______________________________ 9c. Imagine that you actually saw someone posting a virus program one wrote onto a BB or EDL. Would you feel bothered.....0 not care.....1 think this is good.....2 9d. Should the person be stopped? No.....0 Yes....1 9e. Should the person be punished? No.....0 Yes....1 Suppose you learn about two different countries. In country A, people posting design/programming characteristics of a computer virus they wrote on a BB or EDL are quite common, and in country B, one never shares such programming information about a virus one has created with members of a BB or EDL. 9f. Which one of these customs [if either] is bad or wrong? Both customs are wrong.....3 Country A's custom is wrong.....2 Country B's custom is wrong.....1 Neither one, both customs are okay.....0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- SITUATION 3 Your friend has just received a new computer game through an EDL located abroad. The game is banned in this country because of its violence, sexual and racist content. Your friend tests the game. Although he/she finds it somewhat disgusting, your friend sends a copy to another friend abroad, where no regulations exists for banning the game. Your friend does not keep a copy of the game. 10a. What do you think about this situation (send a locally banned game to another user abroad where the game is not banned? Very wrong.....2 A little wrong.....1 Perfectly okay.....0 10b. Is anyone hurt by what your friend did? No.....0 Yes....1 If yes, Who/Person_______________________________ How_______________________________ 10c. Imagine that you actually saw someone send a game banned in your country to another user abroad where no such ban exists. Would you feel bothered.....0 not care.....1 think this is good.....2 10d. Should the person be stopped? No.....0 Yes....1 10e. Should the person be punished? No.....0 Yes....1 Suppose you learn about two different countries. In country A, people sending copies of banned games received through an EDL to their friends abroad where no such regulation exists are quite common; in country B, one never passes on locally banned games received from an EDL to friends abroad where no such regulation exists. 10f. Which one of these customs [if either] is bad or wrong? Both customs are wrong.....3 Country A's custom is wrong.....2 Country B's custom is wrong.....1 Neither one, both customs are okay.....0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- The questions below again ask you to state your opinions and beliefs about computer-related issues. Please remember, there are no right or wrong answers. 1.... strongly disagree 2.... disagree 3.... disagree somewhat 4.... undecided 5.... agree somewhat 6.... agree 7.... strongly agree [Please circle or put a CAPITAL X directly on the line under your response] strongly strongly disagree agree 11. To get ahead in life one has to do some things which may not be right 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 12. Regulating the content of information distributed on BBs and EDLs by the government is appropriate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 13. It is all right to skirt the fringes of the law when using computers if you can get away with it 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 14. I respect my best friend's opinions about what one should and should not do with computer technology 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 15. Your close friends have done some things with computer viruses that might be considered inappropriate by some people 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 16. I feel it is more important to protect a person's privacy then the ability of police to "wiretap" one's electronic mail or data communication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 17. It is all right to skirt the fringes of the law by downloading banned instructions/information about how to do something .... from a BB located abroad, where possession of such information is legal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 18. It is all right to skirt the fringes of the law by keeping banned information about how to do something.... received from an EDL located abroad, where possession of such information is legal 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 19. It is all right to skirt the fringes of the law by copying a software package from a friend to use it for about 3 months, before deleting it from one's PC's hard-drive 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 20. Inappropriate information on BBs' and EDLs', such as violent games, should be censored by government regulators 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 21. The use of a self-made encryption device and software for computer-communication purposes is perfectly okay 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ----------------------------------------------------------------- BACKGROUND [Please circle or mark one code # (e.g., _1_ or "1" or ~1~) or enter an absolute value (e.g., # of years) or else type your answer in CAPITAL LETTERS for each question]. 22. Are you working? not currently employed.....0 part-time.....1 full-time.....2 23. What is your current occupation? __________________(please specify) 24. Are you male.....1 female.....0 25. As far as material wealth is concerned, when you consider the economic and social situation of the country where you grew up (age-span 1-18 years), would one consider your family (i.e., yourself, siblings and parents) as having been: poor.....0 below average.....1 average.....2 above average.....3 rich.....4 26. How old are you? #______ of years 27. How many years did you attend school (e.g., community college/vocational diploma = 12-14 years, undergraduate university degree = 16 years)? #______ of years 28. In which country do you currently reside? Name of Country:__________ # of years:___ 29. In which country have you spent most of your life? Name of Country:__________ # of years:___ 30. In your community, in how many voluntary/charity organizations do you regularly (i.e. at least once a month) participate (e.g., church, sport groups, big brother/big sister, scouts or Red Cross)? # _____ of groups 31. How did you receive this survey? e-mail from Gattiker.....0 e-mail from a friend/colleague.....1 listserver/electronic discussion list, please specify: .....2 electronic journal/newsletter, specify: .....3 other, please specify: .....4 IF YOU WISH TO RECEIVE A SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS, PLEASE mark here ___ with an X or else provide your address to Urs E. Gattiker. A short summary of the results will appear in a future CU-Digest! THANK YOU FOR PROVIDING US WITH YOUR HELP, INSIGHTS, AND EXPERTISE SO FREELY AND GENEROUSLY! ver6 ------------------------------ End of Computer Underground Digest #6.39 ************************************