------------------------------ Date: Mon, 17 Jan 94 15:21:28 -0800 From: erikn@GOLDFISH.MITRON.TEK.COM(Erik Nilsson) Subject: File 2--Re: CuD, #6.07: CPSR lives down from my expectations (#1) I would like to respond to Bryce Eustace Wilcox's article in CUD #6.07, entitled "CPSR lives down from my expectations." Wilcox sez CPSR is: > a radical socialist/welfare-state lobby with a thinly veiled and > very active political agenda. Strong words, Bryce. As a CPSR member, I do not find that these words fit CPSR. CPSR isn't a socialist/welfare-state lobby, and there is _nothing_ veiled about our agenda. However, I won't microanalize your charges against CPSR, but rather fulfill your stated request: more information on what CPSR is and what CPSR stands for. The first thing to know about CPSR is that we discuss alot. CPSR is primarily composed of highly motivated and in many cases highly opinionated individuals, one of whom is Jim Davis and another of whom is me. Periodically, CPSR will be wracked by discussion on what CPSR's prioities should be. This is healthy and generally works out pretty well, and means that even one CPSR member, if they make a well reasoned argument, can ultimately sway the course of the entire organization. This has happened several times: when CPSR broadened its focus from computerized weapons systems to civil liberties and more computer use issues, and again when a small group in Seattle got CPSR directly involved in organizing and developing community networks, bringing the on-line world to the neighborhood. > CPSR is not simply a cyberspace civil rights lobby Damn strait. CPSR has other areas of concern, but our work on civil liberties for the on-line community has been very effective. More to the point, CPSR is not primarily a lobby organization at all, but an educational organization. To that end, we present all kinds of viewpoints in our newsletters, public forums, and so on. These are the views of our members or others, which, just like any college class or company department, cover a thankfully broad chunk of the political spectrum. We also file FOIA suits against government agencies who won't tell Americans things that by law they must tell us. I don't imagine that makes CPSR very popular with the NSA, the National Security Council, or the FBI, but I'm not sure that bothers me very much. I'm not a board member, so I can't speak with authority on CPSR's position on cyberspace, but my understanding of CPSR's position is as follows: If we look at how telephones have worked out, there have been positive and negative points. One positive point is that almost everybody has one, and in fact has access to one pretty much whenever they need one. Another good point is that, in theory, your telephone call is private. Not only does no one else (who doesn't have a warrant) have the right to listen to your call, they don't have a right to even know the call existed. One bad point is that each phone is hooked up to one LEC, and if the LEC is a goof (or, worse, you're using a COCOT, which all seem to be run by goofs), then you will have shitty service, and may not even be able to do what you wanted to do with the telephone. Furthermore, "regulated" monopolies have pretty much guaranteed that LECs will be goofy. The current NII slamdance may take care of the monopoly part, although it bears watching, remember the COCOTS. It would be a pity, however, if in finally untangling ourselves from Ma Bell's local loop apron strings, we somehow lose universal service. What good is all this whizzy new bandwidth, if you can't afford it, or even if you win the lottery, your friends can't afford it, so you can't visit them in cyberspace? Equally troubling, the FBI is now publicly and agressively demanding that the entire telecommunications infrastructure be modified, at untold expense, for automated wiretaps of _everything_ for voice and data. In a sense the FBI proposes to bug every car on the information highway, causing nothing but grief. Really, the proposed "new rules" are ludicrously broad. BBSs would appear to be covered, as are private networks. Running a little Appletalk net at home for printing? Better order that FBI-use-only dial-in line damn snappy, unless you want an in-depth field-trip through the criminal justice system. The FBI's actions combined with continuing BBS raids point out the extreme lack of regard in some quarters for civil liberties in cyberspace. Naturally, CPSR takes exception to these developments. CPSR's research and testimony was instrumental in keeping the FBI from creating a "suspect" database in the NCIC (a database of "suspicious" people who had never been charged with a crime), so we're comfortable tangling with the G-Men, and well-positioned to resist these disturbing developments. Here are some official words on CPSR: +------------------------------------------------------------------------ ************************************************************************ COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ************************************************************************ The mission of CPSR is to provide the public and policymakers with realistic assessments of the power, promise, and problems of information technology. As concerned citizens, CPSR members work to direct public attention to critical choices concerning the applications of information technology and how those choices affect society. Founded in 1981 by a group of computer scientists concerned about the use of computers in nuclear weapons systems, CPSR has grown into a national public-interest alliance of information technology professionals and other people. Currently, CPSR has 22 chapters in the U.S. and affiliations with similar groups worldwide. In addition to our National Office in Palo Alto, California, we maintain an office in Washington, D.C. Every project we undertake is based on five principles: o We foster and support public discussion of, and meaningful involvement in, decisions critical to society. o We work to correct misinformation while providing understandable and factual analyses about the impact of societal technology. o We challenge the assumption that technology alone can solve political and social problems. o We critically examine social and technical issues within the computer profession, both nationally and internationally. o We encourage the use of information technology to improve the quality of life. ************************************************************************ CPSR PROJECTS ************************************************************************ By sponsoring both national and local projects, CPSR serves as a catalyst for in-depth discussion and effective action in key areas: o The National Information Infrastructure o Civil Liberties and Privacy o Computers in the Workplace o Technology Policy and Human Needs o Reliability and Risk of Computer-Based Systems In addition, CPSR's chapter-based projects and national working groups tackle issues ranging from the implementation of Calling Number ID systems to the development of nanotechnology and virtual reality, from the use of computers in education to working conditions for computer professionals, from community networks to computer ethics. =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+ + END THIS FILE + +=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+===+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=