From jw4 at scn.org Sun Apr 1 18:37:36 2001 From: jw4 at scn.org (Joel Ware IV) Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 18:37:36 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: WAISP Legislative Update 04/01/01 (fwd) Message-ID: Here's the latest from WAISP. Note: There is a federal anti-UCE/SPAM bill pending ... see below. Regards, -Joel. Joel Ware, IV jw4 at scn.org Volunteer Coordinator Emeritus, Member of Governance, HR, Ops, Board ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 14:20:13 -0700 From: Gary Gardner--Executive Director To: announcements at waisp.org Subject: WAISP Legislative Update 04/01/01 The Washington State legislature is rapidly winding down, there are but three weeks left in this legislative session. This past Friday was the cut-off date for bills to be heard by committees in opposite houses, i.e. Senate bills in the House Committee etc. We are down to one bill that we are working on for WAISP in this session -- it is the ban on the WUTC approving a mandatory measured service tariff. The bill is HB 1287, and the ban would extend until 2004. The legislature is set to adjourn on Sunday, April 22nd. However, back in the OTHER Washington, the US Congress is debating an anti-SPAM/UCE bill and the US House Commerce Committee passed their version of it last week. The debate, and the bill, have many of the same provisions the Washington State law that WAISP helped pass back in 1998. Even the debate and the changes made mirror the debate here. The bill is HR 718 and was sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson (R-New Mexico), and you can access it here: http://www.cauce.org/legislation/HR718-fullcmte-final.pdf WAISP has been working with members of the Commerce Committee on the bill, and the bill as passed does the following: Requires an accurate return address on UCE, and a physical business address for the sender. Makes it illegal to continue sending junk email to someone after they have asked to be removed from the senders list. Require UCE to be labeled. Require ISPs to let their customers opt-out of getting junk e-mail if the ISP profits from allowing it into their system. Sets a penalty for continuing to send junk e-mail after someone has asked for it to stop. Allows ISPs to have a junk e-mail policy and sue spammers for $500 per message if they violate the policy. Authorizes the FTC to go after junk e-mailers who violate the law. Creates a misdemeanor offense in criminal law for intentionally using fraudulent return addresses or routing information, including domain name, header information, date or time stamp, originating electronic mail address or other information identifying the initiations or sender of such message. Allows individuals to also sue senders of junk e-mail in violation of the law. Unfortunately however, the Committee also made some changes that have caused some of the more aggressive anti-UCE coalitions to withdraw support for the bill. Other organizations and large ISPs such as Earthlink and AOL have not withdrawn their support. Those provisions include requiring ISPs to use filtering software to block SPAM before taking legal action. I look at this bill as very similar to the WAISP efforts in 1998 -- and we ended up holding our noses so to speak after NOT getting everything we wanted and passing a much weaker bill. However, as the old adage goes, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. This bill has a long way to go before it becomes law -- it next goes to the House Judiciary Committee for further work, and then to the full house and all over again on the Senate side. WAISP will continue to work on the bill to make it as strong as possible -- recognizing that Congress is not going to give us the perfect "opt-in" bill prohibiting SPAM, as much as we'd like them to. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From bn890 at scn.org Sun Apr 1 20:41:03 2001 From: bn890 at scn.org (Irene Mogol) Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001 20:41:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: Re: OPS: Is SCN going down? In-Reply-To: <983903934.3aa52ebe0a033@scn7.scn.org> Message-ID: I like the idea of RE-NEWed interest. Irene On Tue, 6 Mar 2001, Rhodes Hileman wrote: > Hello Doug, > > I'm all ears: please elaborate. We need your > ideas. > > Rhodes > > Quoting Doug Schuler : > > >... I suggest that we use the > > move as a catalyst for a RE-NEWED commitment to the > > Seattle Community. ... upgraded > > technology, more members, additional community > > programs, and more savvy media outreach. > > > > > Rhodes Hileman -> mailto:Rhodes at SmSys.Com > Addresses and phones -> http://www.smsys.com/smaladdr.html > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * > . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: > majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: > unsubscribe scn > ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== > * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From melissa at groupworks.org Mon Apr 2 17:46:50 2001 From: melissa at groupworks.org (Melissa Guest) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 17:46:50 -0700 Subject: SCN: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additional members Message-ID: <004701c0bbd7$92ead480$0100a8c0@dellxpsr350> This is the advisory board which, among other things, advises the City Council on who should receive Technology Matching Fund grants (both SCN and NNC/Digital Promise have received these). If you are interested, contact David Keyes at david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us or Lynne Masters (listed below). ----- Forwared Message ----- From: David Keyes To: steve at groupworks.org ; guests at scn.org Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 6:37 PM Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board recruitment Steve and Melissa, Below is a solicitation from the Mayor and City Council (Via Jim Compton) for applications to the City's Telecomunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). Deadline is April 9th. I thought you may either be interested in applying or know of others that could be. Would you please share this with appropriate SCN and NNC mailing lists members? There are some very interesting issues coming to the Board in the next couple years. The City would like to continue to have a Board that represents Seattle's diversity of community and expertise. I work closely with the Board and would be happy to answer any questions. - David ------------------------- For Immediate Release: March 20, 2001 Contact: Lynne Masters, 386-0031 Alex Field, 684-8119 George Allen, 684-8802 CITY SEEKS CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD Seattle, WA - Mayor Paul Schell and Councilmember Jim Compton - City Council's Public Safety and Technology Committee Chair - are actively seeking candidates for several openings on a citizen advisory board that has strongly influenced City policy concerning communications technology since 1995. The board - the Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB) - advises City officials on many aspects of communications and information sharing, including cable television, internet access, and regulatory issues surrounding the City's authority over wire and wireless communications systems. Since its inception, CTTAB members advised the City on projects and policies that expanded access to the Web, encouraged citizen efforts to use technology to organize, supporteded computer literacy and provided access to computers for all citizens. Recently, CTTAB had a significant role in negotiations for a cable franchise that will bring fiber-optic communications to Seattle. CTTAB works to assure that the City of Seattle's approach to the use of technology is far-sighted, inclusive, provides universal access to information, and enhances widespead participation in public process. Board members interview applicants and rate submissions to the Technology Matching Fund program the Board helped create. New CTTAB projects include a Seniors Training Seniors in Technology Project and an "Information Age" campaign to help familiarize the technology-challenged with computers, the Web, and the world of telecommunications. Jerry Whiting - the current CTTAB chair and President of Azalea Software - considers this advisory board to be an important bridge builder, connecting community groups, the technology industry and city government. "I appreciate more and more the vital role that CTTAB plays in advising and working with the Mayor's office, City Council, the City's Cable Office, and information technology staff. CTTAB's role in competitive cable franchising, the disbursement of technology grant money, and discussions with citizens groups, city government, and the cable and high tech industry is key to Seattle's providing excellence in communcations for all its citizens." The fifteen member board has five positions available, and all interested members of the public are welcome to apply. In the interest of representing as many points of view as possible, persons of color, women, youth, persons with disabilities and sexual minorities are especially encouraged to apply. Board responsibilities require a commitment of at least two meetings a month. All members serve without compensation and must be residents of Seattle. Knowledge of technical matters is helpful but is not a prerequisite. More information about CTTAB - its past and current projects - is available on CTTAB's Home Page at: http://cityofseattle.net/cttab/ For a live source of information about CTTAB, please call Lynne Masters at 386-0031. Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest and resume by April 9, 2001, to: Alex Field, Administrator, Boards and Commissions Mayor's Office 600 Fourth Avenue, 12th Floor Seattle, WA 98104-1873 -------------------------------------- David Keyes Community Technology Planner City of Seattle Department of Information Technology (206) 386-9759 david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us Suite 2700, Key Tower 700 Fifth Avenue Seattle, Washington 98104-5065 USA Fax (206) 684-0911 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From vista at wshfc.org Mon Apr 2 18:55:56 2001 From: vista at wshfc.org (Vista) Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 18:55:56 -0700 Subject: SCN: RE: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additi onal members Message-ID: <212A16578B22D311A14B0008C79FB2035BC0B8@outlook.wshfc.org> Hi Melissa, Not that I would be interested or eligible, but do you happen to know whether participation on the City's board would affect SCN's or Digital Promises chances for obtaining matching grants through the City--conflict of interest and all? Thanks, Wade Englund--VISTA Volunteer Technology Education Coordinator Seattle Community Network ( http://www.scn.org/teched ) 1000 2nd Avenue Suite 2700 Seattle, Washington 98104-1000 VISTA at wshfc.org Phone: (206) 287-4484 Fax: (206) 587-5113 "What good is technology if people don't know how to use it?" > -----Original Message----- > From: Melissa Guest [SMTP:melissa at groupworks.org] > Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 5:47 PM > To: nnc-board at scn.org; board; SCN's ExComm Members; scn at scn.org > Cc: David Keyes > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for > additional members > > 1.93 > This is the advisory board which, among other things, advises the City > Council on who should receive Technology Matching Fund grants (both > SCN and NNC/Digital Promise have received these). If you are > interested, contact David Keyes at david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us or > Lynne Masters (listed below). > > ----- Forwared Message ----- > From: David Keyes > To: steve at groupworks.org ; guests at scn.org > Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 6:37 PM > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board recruitment > > Steve and Melissa, > > Below is a solicitation from the Mayor and City Council (Via Jim > Compton) for applications to the City's Telecomunications and > Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). Deadline is April 9th. I thought > you may either be interested in applying or know of others that could > be. Would you please share this with appropriate SCN and NNC mailing > lists members? There are some very interesting issues coming to the > Board in the next couple years. The City would like to continue to > have a Board that represents Seattle's diversity of community and > expertise. > I work closely with the Board and would be happy to answer any > questions. > > - David > ------------------------- > For Immediate Release: March 20, 2001 > Contact: Lynne Masters, 386-0031 > Alex Field, 684-8119 > George Allen, 684-8802 > > CITY SEEKS CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT ON > TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD > > Seattle, WA - Mayor Paul Schell and Councilmember Jim Compton - City > Council's Public Safety and Technology Committee Chair - are actively > seeking candidates for several openings on a citizen advisory board > that has strongly influenced City policy concerning communications > technology since 1995. > > The board - the Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory > Board (CTTAB) - advises City officials on many aspects of > communications and information > sharing, including cable television, internet access, and regulatory > issues > surrounding the City's authority over wire and wireless communications > systems. > > Since its inception, CTTAB members advised the City on projects and > policies that expanded access to the Web, encouraged citizen efforts > to use technology to organize, supporteded computer literacy and > provided access to computers for all citizens. Recently, CTTAB had a > significant role in negotiations for a cable franchise that will bring > fiber-optic > communications to Seattle. > > CTTAB works to assure that the City of Seattle's approach to the use > of > technology is far-sighted, inclusive, provides universal access to > information, and enhances widespead participation in public process. > Board members interview applicants and rate submissions to the > Technology Matching Fund program the Board helped create. New CTTAB > projects include a Seniors Training Seniors in Technology Project and > an "Information Age" campaign to help familiarize the > technology-challenged with computers, the Web, and the world of > telecommunications. > > Jerry Whiting - the current CTTAB chair and President of Azalea > Software - considers this advisory board to be an important bridge > builder, connecting community groups, the technology industry and city > government. "I appreciate more and more the vital role that CTTAB > plays in advising and working with the Mayor's office, City Council, > the City's Cable Office, and information technology staff. CTTAB's > role in competitive cable franchising, the disbursement of technology > grant money, and discussions with citizens groups, city government, > and the cable and high tech industry is key to Seattle's providing > excellence in communcations for all its citizens." > > The fifteen member board has five positions available, and all > interested members of the public are welcome to apply. In the interest > of representing as many points of view as possible, persons of color, > women, youth, persons with disabilities and sexual minorities are > especially encouraged to apply. > > Board responsibilities require a commitment of at least two meetings a > month. All members serve without compensation and must be residents of > Seattle. Knowledge of technical matters is helpful but is not a > prerequisite. > > More information about CTTAB - its past and current projects - is > available on CTTAB's Home Page at: http://cityofseattle.net/cttab/ > > For a live source of information about CTTAB, please call Lynne > Masters at 386-0031. > > Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest > and > resume by > April 9, 2001, to: > > Alex Field, Administrator, > Boards and Commissions > Mayor's Office > 600 Fourth Avenue, 12th Floor > Seattle, WA 98104-1873 > > > -------------------------------------- > David Keyes > Community Technology Planner > City of Seattle Department of Information Technology > (206) 386-9759 > david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us > Suite 2700, Key Tower > 700 Fifth Avenue > Seattle, Washington 98104-5065 USA > Fax (206) 684-0911 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From melissa at groupworks.org Tue Apr 3 00:59:44 2001 From: melissa at groupworks.org (Melissa Guest) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 00:59:44 -0700 Subject: SCN: Re: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additional members References: <212A16578B22D311A14B0008C79FB2035BC0B8@outlook.wshfc.org> Message-ID: <000b01c0bc14$0ceb7820$0100a8c0@dellxpsr350> Hi Wade - Excellent question of course! Aki Namioka and Doug Schuler were both on CTTAB in the past, and (I believe) would simply abstain from votes about funding for projects they were directly connected to. I believe potential conflicts of interest are simply announced and factored in, but do not adversely affect those projects' abilities to seek Tech Matching Funds. David if this is incorrect, or you believe needs more information, can you elaborate? - Melissa ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vista" To: "'Melissa Guest'" ; ; "board" ; "SCN's ExComm Members" ; Cc: "David Keyes" Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 6:55 PM Subject: RE: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additional members > 1.93 > Hi Melissa, > > Not that I would be interested or eligible, but do you happen to know > whether participation on the City's board would affect SCN's or Digital > Promises chances for obtaining matching grants through the City--conflict of > interest and all? > > Thanks, > > Wade Englund--VISTA Volunteer > Technology Education Coordinator > Seattle Community Network ( http://www.scn.org/teched ) > 1000 2nd Avenue Suite 2700 > Seattle, Washington 98104-1000 > VISTA at wshfc.org > Phone: (206) 287-4484 > Fax: (206) 587-5113 > "What good is technology if people don't know how to use it?" > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Melissa Guest [SMTP:melissa at groupworks.org] > > Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 5:47 PM > > To: nnc-board at scn.org; board; SCN's ExComm Members; scn at scn.org > > Cc: David Keyes > > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for > > additional members > > > > 1.93 > > This is the advisory board which, among other things, advises the City > > Council on who should receive Technology Matching Fund grants (both > > SCN and NNC/Digital Promise have received these). If you are > > interested, contact David Keyes at david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us or > > Lynne Masters (listed below). > > > > ----- Forwared Message ----- > > From: David Keyes > > To: steve at groupworks.org ; guests at scn.org > > Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 6:37 PM > > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board recruitment > > > > Steve and Melissa, > > > > Below is a solicitation from the Mayor and City Council (Via Jim > > Compton) for applications to the City's Telecomunications and > > Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). Deadline is April 9th. I thought > > you may either be interested in applying or know of others that could > > be. Would you please share this with appropriate SCN and NNC mailing > > lists members? There are some very interesting issues coming to the > > Board in the next couple years. The City would like to continue to > > have a Board that represents Seattle's diversity of community and > > expertise. > > I work closely with the Board and would be happy to answer any > > questions. > > > > - David > > ------------------------- > > For Immediate Release: March 20, 2001 > > Contact: Lynne Masters, 386-0031 > > Alex Field, 684-8119 > > George Allen, 684-8802 > > > > CITY SEEKS CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT ON > > TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD > > > > Seattle, WA - Mayor Paul Schell and Councilmember Jim Compton - City > > Council's Public Safety and Technology Committee Chair - are actively > > seeking candidates for several openings on a citizen advisory board > > that has strongly influenced City policy concerning communications > > technology since 1995. > > > > The board - the Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory > > Board (CTTAB) - advises City officials on many aspects of > > communications and information > > sharing, including cable television, internet access, and regulatory > > issues > > surrounding the City's authority over wire and wireless communications > > systems. > > > > Since its inception, CTTAB members advised the City on projects and > > policies that expanded access to the Web, encouraged citizen efforts > > to use technology to organize, supporteded computer literacy and > > provided access to computers for all citizens. Recently, CTTAB had a > > significant role in negotiations for a cable franchise that will bring > > fiber-optic > > communications to Seattle. > > > > CTTAB works to assure that the City of Seattle's approach to the use > > of > > technology is far-sighted, inclusive, provides universal access to > > information, and enhances widespead participation in public process. > > Board members interview applicants and rate submissions to the > > Technology Matching Fund program the Board helped create. New CTTAB > > projects include a Seniors Training Seniors in Technology Project and > > an "Information Age" campaign to help familiarize the > > technology-challenged with computers, the Web, and the world of > > telecommunications. > > > > Jerry Whiting - the current CTTAB chair and President of Azalea > > Software - considers this advisory board to be an important bridge > > builder, connecting community groups, the technology industry and city > > government. "I appreciate more and more the vital role that CTTAB > > plays in advising and working with the Mayor's office, City Council, > > the City's Cable Office, and information technology staff. CTTAB's > > role in competitive cable franchising, the disbursement of technology > > grant money, and discussions with citizens groups, city government, > > and the cable and high tech industry is key to Seattle's providing > > excellence in communcations for all its citizens." > > > > The fifteen member board has five positions available, and all > > interested members of the public are welcome to apply. In the interest > > of representing as many points of view as possible, persons of color, > > women, youth, persons with disabilities and sexual minorities are > > especially encouraged to apply. > > > > Board responsibilities require a commitment of at least two meetings a > > month. All members serve without compensation and must be residents of > > Seattle. Knowledge of technical matters is helpful but is not a > > prerequisite. > > > > More information about CTTAB - its past and current projects - is > > available on CTTAB's Home Page at: http://cityofseattle.net/cttab/ > > > > For a live source of information about CTTAB, please call Lynne > > Masters at 386-0031. > > > > Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest > > and > > resume by > > April 9, 2001, to: > > > > Alex Field, Administrator, > > Boards and Commissions > > Mayor's Office > > 600 Fourth Avenue, 12th Floor > > Seattle, WA 98104-1873 > > > > > > -------------------------------------- > > David Keyes > > Community Technology Planner > > City of Seattle Department of Information Technology > > (206) 386-9759 > > david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us > > Suite 2700, Key Tower > > 700 Fifth Avenue > > Seattle, Washington 98104-5065 USA > > Fax (206) 684-0911 > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From douglas at scn.org Tue Apr 3 11:36:06 2001 From: douglas at scn.org (Doug Schuler) Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 11:36:06 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: RE: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additi onal members In-Reply-To: <212A16578B22D311A14B0008C79FB2035BC0B8@outlook.wshfc.org> Message-ID: I really encourage one (or, better, *several* of you to apply for this post). I think it is *possible* to promote some good progressive communication policy from CTTAB. -- Doug ****************************************************************** * Mandatory Laptop Moratorium Now * * http://www.scn.org/commnet/laptops * * Defy Digital Determinism! * ****************************************************************** On Mon, 2 Apr 2001, Vista wrote: > Hi Melissa, > > Not that I would be interested or eligible, but do you happen to know > whether participation on the City's board would affect SCN's or Digital > Promises chances for obtaining matching grants through the City--conflict of > interest and all? > > Thanks, > > Wade Englund--VISTA Volunteer > Technology Education Coordinator > Seattle Community Network ( http://www.scn.org/teched ) > 1000 2nd Avenue Suite 2700 > Seattle, Washington 98104-1000 > VISTA at wshfc.org > Phone: (206) 287-4484 > Fax: (206) 587-5113 > "What good is technology if people don't know how to use it?" > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Melissa Guest [SMTP:melissa at groupworks.org] > > Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 5:47 PM > > To: nnc-board at scn.org; board; SCN's ExComm Members; scn at scn.org > > Cc: David Keyes > > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for > > additional members > > > > 1.93 > > This is the advisory board which, among other things, advises the City > > Council on who should receive Technology Matching Fund grants (both > > SCN and NNC/Digital Promise have received these). If you are > > interested, contact David Keyes at david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us or > > Lynne Masters (listed below). > > > > ----- Forwared Message ----- > > From: David Keyes > > To: steve at groupworks.org ; guests at scn.org > > Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 6:37 PM > > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board recruitment > > > > Steve and Melissa, > > > > Below is a solicitation from the Mayor and City Council (Via Jim > > Compton) for applications to the City's Telecomunications and > > Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). Deadline is April 9th. I thought > > you may either be interested in applying or know of others that could > > be. Would you please share this with appropriate SCN and NNC mailing > > lists members? There are some very interesting issues coming to the > > Board in the next couple years. The City would like to continue to > > have a Board that represents Seattle's diversity of community and > > expertise. > > I work closely with the Board and would be happy to answer any > > questions. > > > > - David > > ------------------------- > > For Immediate Release: March 20, 2001 > > Contact: Lynne Masters, 386-0031 > > Alex Field, 684-8119 > > George Allen, 684-8802 > > > > CITY SEEKS CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT ON > > TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD > > > > Seattle, WA - Mayor Paul Schell and Councilmember Jim Compton - City > > Council's Public Safety and Technology Committee Chair - are actively > > seeking candidates for several openings on a citizen advisory board > > that has strongly influenced City policy concerning communications > > technology since 1995. > > > > The board - the Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory > > Board (CTTAB) - advises City officials on many aspects of > > communications and information > > sharing, including cable television, internet access, and regulatory > > issues > > surrounding the City's authority over wire and wireless communications > > systems. > > > > Since its inception, CTTAB members advised the City on projects and > > policies that expanded access to the Web, encouraged citizen efforts > > to use technology to organize, supporteded computer literacy and > > provided access to computers for all citizens. Recently, CTTAB had a > > significant role in negotiations for a cable franchise that will bring > > fiber-optic > > communications to Seattle. > > > > CTTAB works to assure that the City of Seattle's approach to the use > > of > > technology is far-sighted, inclusive, provides universal access to > > information, and enhances widespead participation in public process. > > Board members interview applicants and rate submissions to the > > Technology Matching Fund program the Board helped create. New CTTAB > > projects include a Seniors Training Seniors in Technology Project and > > an "Information Age" campaign to help familiarize the > > technology-challenged with computers, the Web, and the world of > > telecommunications. > > > > Jerry Whiting - the current CTTAB chair and President of Azalea > > Software - considers this advisory board to be an important bridge > > builder, connecting community groups, the technology industry and city > > government. "I appreciate more and more the vital role that CTTAB > > plays in advising and working with the Mayor's office, City Council, > > the City's Cable Office, and information technology staff. CTTAB's > > role in competitive cable franchising, the disbursement of technology > > grant money, and discussions with citizens groups, city government, > > and the cable and high tech industry is key to Seattle's providing > > excellence in communcations for all its citizens." > > > > The fifteen member board has five positions available, and all > > interested members of the public are welcome to apply. In the interest > > of representing as many points of view as possible, persons of color, > > women, youth, persons with disabilities and sexual minorities are > > especially encouraged to apply. > > > > Board responsibilities require a commitment of at least two meetings a > > month. All members serve without compensation and must be residents of > > Seattle. Knowledge of technical matters is helpful but is not a > > prerequisite. > > > > More information about CTTAB - its past and current projects - is > > available on CTTAB's Home Page at: http://cityofseattle.net/cttab/ > > > > For a live source of information about CTTAB, please call Lynne > > Masters at 386-0031. > > > > Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest > > and > > resume by > > April 9, 2001, to: > > > > Alex Field, Administrator, > > Boards and Commissions > > Mayor's Office > > 600 Fourth Avenue, 12th Floor > > Seattle, WA 98104-1873 > > > > > > -------------------------------------- > > David Keyes > > Community Technology Planner > > City of Seattle Department of Information Technology > > (206) 386-9759 > > david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us > > Suite 2700, Key Tower > > 700 Fifth Avenue > > Seattle, Washington 98104-5065 USA > > Fax (206) 684-0911 > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * > . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: > majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: > unsubscribe scn > ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== > * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us Tue Apr 3 16:54:28 2001 From: david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us (David Keyes) Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2001 16:54:28 -0700 Subject: SCN: Re: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additional members Message-ID: That's basically correct. Where there is a conflict of interest or potential appearance of conflict, the Board member is expected to reveal that interest and may not vote on funding decisions regarding the project. It is important that we have knowledgable members, so we may at times have conflicts of interest and so also have a process to deal with those situations. It would be terrible if we couldn't have members with real experience. - D David Keyes Community Technology Planner City of Seattle Department of Information Technology (206) 386-9759 david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us Suite 2700, Key Tower 700 Fifth Avenue Seattle, Washington 98104-5065 USA Fax (206) 684-0911 >>> "Melissa Guest" 04/03/01 12:59AM >>> Hi Wade - Excellent question of course! Aki Namioka and Doug Schuler were both on CTTAB in the past, and (I believe) would simply abstain from votes about funding for projects they were directly connected to. I believe potential conflicts of interest are simply announced and factored in, but do not adversely affect those projects' abilities to seek Tech Matching Funds. David if this is incorrect, or you believe needs more information, can you elaborate? - Melissa ----- Original Message ----- From: "Vista" To: "'Melissa Guest'" ; ; "board" ; "SCN's ExComm Members" ; Cc: "David Keyes" Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 6:55 PM Subject: RE: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for additional members > 1.93 > Hi Melissa, > > Not that I would be interested or eligible, but do you happen to know > whether participation on the City's board would affect SCN's or Digital > Promises chances for obtaining matching grants through the City--conflict of > interest and all? > > Thanks, > > Wade Englund--VISTA Volunteer > Technology Education Coordinator > Seattle Community Network ( http://www.scn.org/teched ) > 1000 2nd Avenue Suite 2700 > Seattle, Washington 98104-1000 > VISTA at wshfc.org > Phone: (206) 287-4484 > Fax: (206) 587-5113 > "What good is technology if people don't know how to use it?" > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Melissa Guest [SMTP:melissa at groupworks.org] > > Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 5:47 PM > > To: nnc-board at scn.org; board; SCN's ExComm Members; scn at scn.org > > Cc: David Keyes > > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board (CTTAB) looking for > > additional members > > > > 1.93 > > This is the advisory board which, among other things, advises the City > > Council on who should receive Technology Matching Fund grants (both > > SCN and NNC/Digital Promise have received these). If you are > > interested, contact David Keyes at david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us or > > Lynne Masters (listed below). > > > > ----- Forwared Message ----- > > From: David Keyes > > To: steve at groupworks.org ; guests at scn.org > > Sent: Tuesday, March 27, 2001 6:37 PM > > Subject: City Telecom and IT Advisory Board recruitment > > > > Steve and Melissa, > > > > Below is a solicitation from the Mayor and City Council (Via Jim > > Compton) for applications to the City's Telecomunications and > > Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB). Deadline is April 9th. I thought > > you may either be interested in applying or know of others that could > > be. Would you please share this with appropriate SCN and NNC mailing > > lists members? There are some very interesting issues coming to the > > Board in the next couple years. The City would like to continue to > > have a Board that represents Seattle's diversity of community and > > expertise. > > I work closely with the Board and would be happy to answer any > > questions. > > > > - David > > ------------------------- > > For Immediate Release: March 20, 2001 > > Contact: Lynne Masters, 386-0031 > > Alex Field, 684-8119 > > George Allen, 684-8802 > > > > CITY SEEKS CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT ON > > TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY BOARD > > > > Seattle, WA - Mayor Paul Schell and Councilmember Jim Compton - City > > Council's Public Safety and Technology Committee Chair - are actively > > seeking candidates for several openings on a citizen advisory board > > that has strongly influenced City policy concerning communications > > technology since 1995. > > > > The board - the Citizens Telecommunications and Technology Advisory > > Board (CTTAB) - advises City officials on many aspects of > > communications and information > > sharing, including cable television, internet access, and regulatory > > issues > > surrounding the City's authority over wire and wireless communications > > systems. > > > > Since its inception, CTTAB members advised the City on projects and > > policies that expanded access to the Web, encouraged citizen efforts > > to use technology to organize, supporteded computer literacy and > > provided access to computers for all citizens. Recently, CTTAB had a > > significant role in negotiations for a cable franchise that will bring > > fiber-optic > > communications to Seattle. > > > > CTTAB works to assure that the City of Seattle's approach to the use > > of > > technology is far-sighted, inclusive, provides universal access to > > information, and enhances widespead participation in public process. > > Board members interview applicants and rate submissions to the > > Technology Matching Fund program the Board helped create. New CTTAB > > projects include a Seniors Training Seniors in Technology Project and > > an "Information Age" campaign to help familiarize the > > technology-challenged with computers, the Web, and the world of > > telecommunications. > > > > Jerry Whiting - the current CTTAB chair and President of Azalea > > Software - considers this advisory board to be an important bridge > > builder, connecting community groups, the technology industry and city > > government. "I appreciate more and more the vital role that CTTAB > > plays in advising and working with the Mayor's office, City Council, > > the City's Cable Office, and information technology staff. CTTAB's > > role in competitive cable franchising, the disbursement of technology > > grant money, and discussions with citizens groups, city government, > > and the cable and high tech industry is key to Seattle's providing > > excellence in communcations for all its citizens." > > > > The fifteen member board has five positions available, and all > > interested members of the public are welcome to apply. In the interest > > of representing as many points of view as possible, persons of color, > > women, youth, persons with disabilities and sexual minorities are > > especially encouraged to apply. > > > > Board responsibilities require a commitment of at least two meetings a > > month. All members serve without compensation and must be residents of > > Seattle. Knowledge of technical matters is helpful but is not a > > prerequisite. > > > > More information about CTTAB - its past and current projects - is > > available on CTTAB's Home Page at: http://cityofseattle.net/cttab/ > > > > For a live source of information about CTTAB, please call Lynne > > Masters at 386-0031. > > > > Those interested in being considered should send a letter of interest > > and > > resume by > > April 9, 2001, to: > > > > Alex Field, Administrator, > > Boards and Commissions > > Mayor's Office > > 600 Fourth Avenue, 12th Floor > > Seattle, WA 98104-1873 > > > > > > -------------------------------------- > > David Keyes > > Community Technology Planner > > City of Seattle Department of Information Technology > > (206) 386-9759 > > david.keyes at ci.seattle.wa.us > > Suite 2700, Key Tower > > 700 Fifth Avenue > > Seattle, Washington 98104-5065 USA > > Fax (206) 684-0911 > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From steve at advocate.net Wed Apr 4 22:50:53 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 22:50:53 -0700 Subject: SCN: Passwords Message-ID: <3ACBA54D.23389.200AEF@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ========================= How eBay and Yahoo compromise your private data (David Berlind, ZDNet)---As of this writing, both eBay and Yahoo have inconsistently deployed security features to their sites that expose user IDs and passwords to prying eyes in shared network settings. That means they're compromising the confidentiality of personal information the average user probably thinks is protected. Yahoo and eBay allow users to personalize their sites - and it's fair to say most users would prefer to keep their personal settings private. For this reason, the sites offer an extra measure of security by encrypting log-in information before passing it across the network. Both eBay and Yahoo offer a special, secure log-on page. However, to access other services or features on these sites, users have to provide their user ID and password again. Aside from the usability issue of having to log in twice, the real problem here is that there is no option to log in securely that second time around. The end result is that users who are accessing these services from a shared network segment (which is most often the case in business, academic, or government settings), are having their user IDs and passwords transmitted across the LAN in clear text. eBay's transgression is slightly worse than Yahoo's, in that the information must be supplied a second time even though the user is engaged primarily in the same basic task - the auction process. Even if you're already logged in, you have to re-enter your ID and password to contact another eBay user. The page where this information is requested does not offer the option to provide this information securely (as eBay's main log-in page does). Yahoo's oversight occurs with a completely separate, yet popular service - Yahoo! Messenger. Even if you're logged into Yahoo securely, you have to re-enter your user ID and password to access Yahoo! Messenger. However, like eBay, Yahoo's security features are inconsistently applied. The Yahoo! Messenger client transmits your personal information in clear text across the network. I tested both scenarios using one of the many protocol analyzers that can be downloaded for free on either of our sister download sites. In my tests, I decoded my own PC's packets as I logged in securely to both eBay and Yahoo, and then accessed the features I suspected were transmitting my personal information in clear text. Sure enough, there they were - my user IDs and passwords as clear as day. Even worse, in both cases, they not only appeared one after the other, but they were also clearly identified with labels like "userid=" and "password=". Kevin Pursglove, an eBay spokesperson, claims that "making eBay entirely SSL has been discussed, but the decision was made to leave that up to the user." Pursglove added that this option is available in the example I provided earlier and that all confidential information is SSL-protected. Hogwash. Pursglove must be looking at a different version of eBay than I am, because when I try to contact another eBay user and am asked for my ID and password, no SSL log-in option is provided. That's even after I set my preferences to remember that I am already logged in (which supposedly negates the need to re-enter ID and password). Pursglove did not return calls further seeking clarification. As for Yahoo, in a statement that makes it sound as though user privacy is not a priority, Brian Park, Yahoo's communications services senior producer, acknowledged the problem, saying, "We are developing a secure log-in option for future versions of Messenger to address this issue." Here's a hint to those of you doing business on the Web and in corporate IT. There is no higher priority than protecting the confidential information of your users. These are egregious oversights on the part of eBay and Yahoo, and you need to do all you can to keep from repeating these mistakes. At the very least, you should have periodic quality-assurance reviews of all secured entrances to make sure that the user experience is consistent. With so many users now logging in over high-speed connections, users won't notice performance hits if they choose to log in securely. For that reason, it makes sense to offer the secure log-in option wherever and whenever possible, regardless of the application. A rolling set of best practices should be thoroughly documented and updated continually to reflect changes in technology (for example, wireless access), the behavior patterns of users, ever-changing legislation, trends among your competitors, and the general pulse in the IT sector. IT managers should meet regularly to walk through applications, head-to-toe, just to double-check that some newly introduced feature hasn't resulted in a back-door violation. Finally, if you have any responsibility for deploying applications where security is a concern - Web based or not - don't be afraid to test all the doors yourself and speak up when you find something that doesn't add up. Surely, there are enough people at eBay and Yahoo who could have exercised their common sense and said something. Sooner or later, if you don't speak up, someone else will. Like the press. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From jj at scn.org Fri Apr 6 23:01:56 2001 From: jj at scn.org (J. Johnson) Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 23:01:56 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: The judge didn't buy it. Message-ID: It was announced at the ExComm meeting last night that SCN's motion to have Rich's suit tossed out was granted. The judge effectively said that even with the most favorable interpretation Rich did not have a case with any of his complaints. (So now he'll probably sue the judge!) I've been told that SCN's out-of-pocket costs on this are somewhere around $4,000. === JJ ============================================================= * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From rockybay at scn.org Sat Apr 7 13:06:03 2001 From: rockybay at scn.org (Malcolm Taran) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 13:06:03 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: The judge didn't buy it. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: May SCN request reimbursement? On Fri, 6 Apr 2001, J. Johnson wrote: > It was announced at the ExComm meeting last night that SCN's motion to > have Rich's suit tossed out was granted. The judge effectively said that > even with the most favorable interpretation Rich did not have a case with > any of his complaints. (So now he'll probably sue the judge!) > > I've been told that SCN's out-of-pocket costs on this are somewhere around > $4,000. > > === JJ ============================================================= These costs appear to be independent of the purposes of SCN, as well as independent of the purposes of volunteers and contributors. Malcolm Taran * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From jmabel at speakeasy.org Sat Apr 7 22:02:19 2001 From: jmabel at speakeasy.org (Joe Mabel) Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2001 22:02:19 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: The judge didn't buy it. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I would strongly urge that SCN swallow this rather than exacerbate matters by countersuing Rich. I think it would set a terrible precedent to sue a member who believed they had a grievance, even if a court deemed the matter not actionable. -------------------- Joe Mabel On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Malcolm Taran wrote: > > May SCN request reimbursement? > > On Fri, 6 Apr 2001, J. Johnson wrote: > > It was announced at the ExComm meeting last night that SCN's motion to > > have Rich's suit tossed out was granted. The judge effectively said that > > even with the most favorable interpretation Rich did not have a case with > > any of his complaints. (So now he'll probably sue the judge!) > > > > I've been told that SCN's out-of-pocket costs on this are somewhere around > > $4,000. > > > > === JJ ============================================================= > > These costs appear to be independent of the purposes of SCN, as well > as independent of the purposes of volunteers and contributors. > > Malcolm Taran > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * > . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: > majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: > unsubscribe scn > ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== > * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From jj at scn.org Sun Apr 8 02:03:33 2001 From: jj at scn.org (J. Johnson) Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 02:03:33 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: The judge didn't buy it. In-Reply-To: Message-ID: I have to disagree with Joe on this. This matter is not about "a member ... who had a grievance", but a member who is not only intractable in his views, but hyper-legalistic in his sensibilities. It was Rich's choice to have his grievance judged in a legal venue; so let him be equally answerable in the same venue for the harm he has caused. === JJ ============================================================= On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Joe Mabel wrote: > I would strongly urge that SCN swallow this rather than exacerbate matters by > countersuing Rich. I think it would set a terrible precedent to sue a member who > believed they had a grievance, even if a court deemed the matter not actionable. > > -------------------- > Joe Mabel > > On Sat, 7 Apr 2001, Malcolm Taran wrote: > > > > > May SCN request reimbursement? > > * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Tue Apr 10 00:38:33 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 00:38:33 -0700 Subject: SCN: Digital Opportunity Investment Trust Message-ID: <3AD25609.67.D48535@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ====================== A Universal Library by Lawrence K. Grossman, former president of NBC News and PBS, and Newton N. Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and PBS. (NY Times)---In the emerging information-based economy, Americans need access to knowledge and learning across a lifetime. Teaching workers new technology skills is as important as teaching farmers new agricultural skills was before the turn of the last century. But the Internet and digital communications are being largely wasted as a resource for the kind of broad education the future demands. While it might be a stretch to say that we are in danger of creating a vast digital wasteland, entertainment of marginal quality dominates commercial attempts on the Internet to reach a mass audience and, sad to say, the most consistently profitable sites deliver pornography. Meanwhile, the treasures in our libraries, schools and museums are locked away for want of money to make them digitally available to the full American audience. In the 18th century, the Northwest Ordinance set aside public land for primary schools. In the 19th century, Congress granted land to establish public universities. In the 20th century, the G.I. Bill profoundly expanded educational opportunities. We need a similar public investment to realize the potential of digital communication. Fortunately, there is a public financing source available. Today, among our most valuable and yet little known public assets are the frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum over which television and radio are broadcast and communication signals are sent. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the auctions of these public assets will raise $28 billion over the next 10 years. We propose using $18 billion from this windfall to make a digital gift to the nation: a public trust administered on the model of the National Science Foundation. It is easy to imagine some of what such a trust could make possible: Online literacy programs connecting adults with a virtual one-on-one "reading tutor." A digital model of the human body, from molecular structure to gross anatomy, for students and doctors. Universal access to nearly all important historical manuscripts, photographs, art and recordings now held in museums, libraries and archives. But there is potential for much more that we cannot yet imagine. It is the nature of technology to flourish when people with ideas are given time and support to develop them. Our idea for a Digital Opportunity Investment Trust already has backing from many educators, library and science officials, as well as executives of companies like Microsoft and Novell. Public, educational uses of the Internet and other digital communications technologies will not change their commercial vitality, but will make the online realm even more crucial in American life. We have the financial resources as a nation to make a sizable investment now, and Congress should act to make it happen. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From jj at scn.org Tue Apr 10 21:40:53 2001 From: jj at scn.org (J. Johnson) Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 21:40:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: Attention Alcatel ASDL modem users In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Anyone using ASDL service with an "Alcatel" modem is advised there is a serious problem that exposes your home LAN; please check the CERT advisory (CA-2001-08) at www.cert.org for details. === JJ ============================================================= * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Thu Apr 12 08:42:35 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 08:42:35 -0700 Subject: SCN: hmmm Message-ID: <3AD56A7B.3749.1FEFF6A@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ======================= Microsoft declares war on hostile code (Robert Lemos, ZDNet News)---Can Microsoft beat the security bugs? That's the intent of a multipronged strategy that the software giant unveiled Tuesday at the RSA Data Security Conference. If successful, the strategy will allow users to have the customizability they crave, while eliminating the security holes that have been a chronic black eye, said representatives of the Redmond, Washington company on Tuesday. "The idea is, if you are a normal home user, to be able to turn on your PC, not do anything else, and you will be safe and secure," said Steve Lipner, manager of Microsoft's security response center. The project is aimed at waging what Microsoft is calling a "war on hostile code." Dave Thompson, vice president of Windows development for Microsoft, outlined the initiative during a Tuesday afternoon keynote at the conference here. The goal: Secure Windows XP. The newest version of Windows is due out in this fall and will come in several flavors: one for home users, another for business users and a later version able to run on 64-bit processors. "It's an unending war, I'm sure," Thompson said during his speech. Retiring the old Windows code--upon which Windows 95, 98 and Me are based--is the first step toward securing the PC. Or, as Lipner put it, "Windows XP is based on the Windows NT code base--it's a real operating system." With the ability to limit access permissions to particular users--a feature common in Unix and other "real" operating systems-- Windows XP will have more security right off the mark. Yet, Microsoft doesn't intend to stop there, Lipner said. Through a series of moves--including "spot the bug" e-mails, classes on writing secure code, and messages from higher-ups in the company supporting secure code--Microsoft hopes to focus its programmers on delivering bug-free and reliable code. "We are imbuing security into the company's culture, we really are," he said. On the Web site, the company has started posting update information in XML so other software companies can make update agents that can automatically check which updates the user needs. Without frequent patching, any operating system can quickly become insecure. The software giant also intends to start rating its updates on how critical they are for the computer user to install. Finally, Microsoft intends to add a number of applications and utilities to add security to Windows XP. System administrators will be able configure systems' security using tools that will turn company policies--such as no personal Web surfing and no sending executables in e-mail--into specific settings. A personal firewall, or Internet-connection firewall, will give users a higher level of security right off the bat, Lipner said. And a "credential manager" will enable user to securely store their passwords for Internet sites on their computer in a digital vault. The manager will automatically give the passwords to the originating site, effectively letting people access all their accounts with a single sign-on. Yet will the move to security earn Microsoft praise or curses from its customers? Microsoft's customers showed how fickle they can be when many vocally panned the giant's decision last week to block, in the next version of Outlook, several types of e-mail attachments that could be used to spread viruses. However, Lipner said it can improve security without turning off its customers. "When we get to some of the new things that we have done--in particular the software-restriction policies and the components of the .Net. We have the ability to tune things so you can have your cake and eat it too." Copyright 2001 ZDNet Inc. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Fri Apr 13 00:00:02 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 00:00:02 -0700 Subject: SCN: Daily me Message-ID: <3AD64182.29669.54710EE@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ======================== Law Professor Sees Hazard in Personalized News (Carl S. Kaplan, NY Times)---In the near future, the prophets declare, technology will free people from the tedium of scanning newspapers, magazines and broadcast television shows to find the information they want. Filtering software will allow consumers to create a personalized media diet catering to their tastes, the forecasters contend. Whether it be a steady stream of world news, baseball statistics or politically conservative editorials, intelligent filtering software will make focused information delivery possible. The outlines of this communications package -- dubbed "the Daily Me" by M.I.T.'s Nicholas Negroponte -- can already be seen, according to Cass R. Sunstein, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School. Many news Web sites, for example, send out articles or headlines on topics that readers have pre-selected. The much-ballyhooed TiVo television recording system lets consumers create a personalized TV lineup of favorite shows. Those who applaud the rise of the Daily Me say it increases personal freedom saves wasted time. But in "Republic.com," an alarming new book that explores the relationship between new technologies and democratic self-government, Sunstein distances himself from the cheering crowd. The ease and speed with which citizens get information in the digital era expands democracy, he argues, but the Internet simultaneously makes it all too easy to customize media experiences, narrowing readers' minds and souls. "Democracy requires at least two things: that people have common spaces where they can share experiences some of the time, and that people have unanticipated, un-chosen exposures to ideas and other people," Sunstein, 46, said recently in the dining room of a busy SoHo hotel. Traditionally, streets and parks served as the architectural foundations of democratic republics, said Sunstein. In those "public forums," different types of citizens were bound to rub up against one another. In many large cities people still encounter strangers and unconventional ideas, especially on street corners, said Sunstein. Those experiences help people understand each other and better enable them to work together on common tasks, such as participating in the experiment of self-government. General interest publications, too, like newspapers, national magazines and television news programs, expose far-flung viewers to a relatively broad spectrum of viewpoints and social conditions, said Sunstein. The problem is that with the rise of the Daily Me, the democratizing effects of streets and general interest publications are at risk of being overwhelmed by passive consumers who live in Internet- filtered information cocoons, he explained. Thin and formal, Sunstein smiles a lot when he talks about democracy or quotes from political thinkers he admires. He admits that, in a sense, his book is a disguised love letter to city living, with its street theater and social-status collisions. A highly-regarded constitutional scholar and the author of several books, Sunstein said he decided to study the Internet following numerous informal conversations he had with his friend Lawrence Lessig, an influential Internet thinker and legal expert who teaches at Stanford University. The tipping point came after he co-authored a study on jury behavior. Having found that mock juries composed of like-minded people tended to increase damage awards during deliberations, he wondered whether people who exclusively talked to like-minded people on the Internet also moved toward more extreme views. He witnessed this phenomenon in hate site networks, he said, where enclaves of people who filtered out all other viewpoints tended to egg each other on to more intolerant opinions. He began to theorize that a communications system granting ordinary individuals unlimited power to filter information threatens to excessively fragment and polarize citizens -- a poisonous condition for democratic self government. Of course, it might be said about Sunstein's thesis that he has it backwards. The Internet is not a democratic devil but an angel, enabling people to experience new places, people and ideas at the touch of a button. It might also be said that the Daily Me has existed, relatively harmlessly, in different forms for a long time. Many people already live in cookie-cutter suburbs that "filter" out marginal people and ideas. And many readers have long tended to buy niche publications, from Dog Fancy magazine to books about sports heroes. In a review of "Republic.com" last month, a writer for The Economist chided Sunstein on those very grounds. "That was a good piece," Sunstein said, breaking into a smile when The Economist review was mentioned. While it is true that social and intellectual enclaves been around for some time, he responded, the Internet has raised the possibility of harmful "echo chambers" to "an exponential degree." The last part of Sunstein's book contains some modest proposals. He'd like to see a large Web site that was "privately-created, and that operated as a deliberative domain," he said, where curious people could go to encounter a mix of viewpoints on various topics, like abortion, gun control and politics. He'd also encourage Web sites to offer links to opposing viewpoints as a matter of course. "Liberal publications to conservative ones, and vice versa," he said, adding that government regulation of links to promote democratic values was "worth considering." Recently, a critic e-mailed Sunstein, pointing out that the professor's own academic Web site at the University of Chicago did not offer links to other thinkers. Sunstein concedes the point. In the spirit of democracy, he said that within a week or so his Web site will link to the works of Richard Epstein, a libertarian legal scholar at the University of Chicago Law School and Catherine MacKinnon, a feminist theorist at the University of Michigan Law School. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Mon Apr 16 08:31:32 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 08:31:32 -0700 Subject: SCN: Recycling Message-ID: <3ADAADE4.4367.2D6F2AD@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ========================== (Jonathan Skillings, ZDNet, excerpts)---Hoping to stave off governmental mandates, computer makers are considering the most favorable way to set up an industrywide scheme to promote the recycling of obsolete PCs and related products. A preliminary decision on a course of action could come next week when industry representatives and state officials sit down in an effort to find common ground. State governments and environmental groups are hoping that manufacturers will take responsibility for computers past the point of sale, while computer makers are looking for regulatory and cost concessions from the states. The issue of what to do with so-called "end-of-life" electronics has been gathering steam since the mid-1990s and seems set to have come to a head. PCs in particular, with an average life span of just a few years, are going out of service faster than they are being produced. "This is a big environmental issue, frankly," said Gordon Hui, an analyst in the Environmental Protection Agency's Extended Product Responsibility program. Computers and other electronics devices are "a growing waste stream," he said. The showdown is set to take place Thursday, in conjunction with the National Safety Council's Electronic Product Recovery and Recycling (EPR2) Conference in Washington, D.C. "EPR2 is kind of the stage for getting everybody together," said Holly Evans, director of environmental affairs at the Electronic Industries Alliance trade group. In 1998, the latest year for which figures are available, more than 20 million PCs became obsolete in the United States alone, of which only 2.3 million units, or 11 percent, were recycled, according to a landmark study by the NSC. The aging equipment has the attention of researchers, bureaucrats and activists not only because of the volumes involved. Computers, monitors and other high-tech gadgets are loaded with heavy metals-- such as lead, mercury and cadmium--and plastics that could pose a threat to environmental and human health if they are not properly disposed of. The European Parliament is so concerned about what it calls a "politically pressing" issue that this year it is set to pass legislation that would require electronics manufacturers to take back used products and phase potential hazardous wastes out of their wares. "The states are starting to look at the issue a lot more, and I think it's in reaction to what's going on over in Europe," said John Minter, Dell's environmental affairs representative. "Lots of people are anxiously awaiting what's happening in Europe, and manufacturers are trying to get out front with recycling programs and things like that," said Jeremiah Baumann, environmental health advocate at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. Confronted with rising expectations that they should do something about aging machines, several top PC and consumer electronics companies have recently launched recycling and reuse programs: .....In October, Sony Electronics and the state of Minnesota began a five-year program to take back all Sony electronics and personal- computing products, from Walkmen to Vaios, sold in the state. .....In November, IBM announced that, for a fee of $29.99 including shipping, consumers and small businesses can recycle any manufacturer's PC, including system units, monitors, printers and peripherals. .....In December, Dell set up its DellExchange program, which offers consumers three options--trade-in, sale or donation--for disposing of older PCs and related products, regardless of the brand. .....In February, the EIA unveiled a Web site that offers information on recycling and reuse of older electronics and urges consumers to oppose what it calls "misguided" legislation. The manufacturers' programs have drawn the attention of the recycling community. "That's huge," said Hui. "The fact that Sony and IBM are doing these kinds of things is only going to spur other manufacturers to follow suit." Getting to the starting line In recent weeks, leading up to the EPR2 summit, individual PC companies and the EIA have been meeting with representatives from as many as 10 states to hash out where exactly the responsibility for costs and collection should fall as recycling programs get off the ground. Evans described the talks as a "preliminary" stage en route to a national dialogue on recycling of electronics. "There are a lot of unanswered questions about how this issue is going to be solved," she said. The electronics industry, Evans said, is looking for a market-based system with shared responsibility among all parties, including manufacturers, consumers, municipalities, retailers, trash haulers and recyclers. Many variables still need to be worked out, according to both sides. "Cost is the biggest one," Evans said. "The states would have to provide something in the way of regulatory relief." The states see the matter from a somewhat different perspective. "In broad terms, we're looking for industry to help take some responsibility and fund some costs for managing end-of-life electronics," said Brooke Nash, branch chief for municipal waste reduction programs in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Still, the states are hoping to avoid the big-stick approach. "The idea is to negotiate something voluntary with business," Nash said. One possible outcome of the discussions is a pilot project of some three years' duration, Evans said. "We're in the initial stages of trying to see how this can be done." Evans declined to say which manufacturers are involved in the negotiations, but the EIA subgroup that focuses on end-of-life electronics includes IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq Computer, Sharp and Panasonic. Four states she singled out as "active" on this front are Minnesota, Florida, New Jersey and Connecticut. If a nationwide model doesn't emerge from the Washington meetings, progress may continue on a more piecemeal basis. Sony is in discussions with eight states to expand its program and hopes to have at least five signed up by the end of the year, according to Mark Small, vice president of environmental affairs at Sony. Minnesota, meanwhile, has held talks with Sharp, Panasonic, Thompson, Philips and the state of Florida and has agreed in principle to come up with a plan of action. In the United States, 45 mercury-related and 21 electronics bills have been introduced at the state level, with bills in Oregon and Arkansas proposing fees on the purchase of PCs to pay for recycling, according to the International Association of Electronics Recyclers. This month marks the first anniversary of a law in Massachusetts that bans CRT monitors from landfills, and other states are considering similar action. "I think you'll see major things happening over the next six months. These things are starting to gel," said the EPA's Hui. Copyright 2001 ZDNet Inc. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From douglas Mon Apr 16 11:16:34 2001 From: douglas (Doug Schuler) Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2001 11:16:34 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: On the Religion of Silicon Valley... Message-ID: <200104161816.LAA09979@scn.org> ------------------------------------------------------------ Please distribute to friends and colleagues... Thanks!! ------------------------------------------------------------ Free Public Lecture Free Public Lecture Free Public Lecture Free Public Lecture On the Religion of Silicon Valley... (if religion is held to be a set of mostly unconscious, commonly held, collective beliefs) Wednesday April 25, 2001 6:30 - 7:30 PM Lecture Hall 3 The Evergreen State College Olympia, WA On April 25 , 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Paulina Borsook, author of "Cyberselfish/A Critical Romp Through the Terribly Libertarian Culture of High-Tech" (reviews at www.cyberselfish.com), a provocative, gonzo tourguide to the subculture of Silicon Valley, will present at The Evergreen State College. An investigation into the strange land of Technolibertarianism, will form the basis of a discussion about the influence of, "para/psuedo/crypto 'biological' thinking", pervading high-tech discourse on technology, economics and life. * Why has cryptography been an important focus for both the US government and high-tech communities in recent years? * What social values are at stake given the exceedingly complex (and troubling) dilemma of philanthropy and high-tech? Paulina Borsook, a regular commentator for NPR, was a contributing writer at "Wired" during the magazine's early glory years. Her fiction, essays, humor pieces, and journalism on technology and culture have appeared in places such as "The New York Times", "Newsweek", "Mother Jones", salon.com, msnbc.com, feed.com, and suck.com. Her work has also been anthologized widely. Borsook holds an BA degree from UC-Berkeley in psycholinguistics with a minor in philosophy, and an MFA from Columbia University. She also studied poetry with Kenneth Rexroth, and her first published short story, "Virtual Romance", was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has lectured at Yale, Brown, Stanford, and the University of Washington. Links to Borsook's writing, and other material written about her, can be found on the Unofficial Paulina Borsook Home Fan Web Page: www.transaction.net/people/paulina.html. The Plato Lecture series is made possible by royalties from Evergreen student and faculty software development. This lecture is sponsored by the "Community Information Systems" program at TESC. For more information on this program or the lecture, please contact Doug Schuler at 206.634.0752 or, via e-mail at dschuler at evergreen.edu. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Wed Apr 18 07:40:42 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 07:40:42 -0700 Subject: SCN: The help desk Message-ID: <3ADD44FA.4264.18F97E0@localhost> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 6849 bytes Desc: not available URL: From steve at advocate.net Thu Apr 19 07:36:31 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 07:36:31 -0700 Subject: SCN: Recycling Message-ID: <3ADE957F.25770.6B25128@localhost> Pretty good summary of options: www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/stories/story/0,10738,2709632,00.html * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Thu Apr 19 23:49:54 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Thu, 19 Apr 2001 23:49:54 -0700 Subject: SCN: Filters Message-ID: <3ADF79A2.21102.A2D99E1@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ======================= Filters face free-speech test (Lisa M. Bowman, ZDNet News)---The San Francisco Public Library, a large gray edifice that stands across from the city's sparkling City Hall, hardly seems like ground zero for a constitutional war over Web content. But inside the library, where backpack-toting students can slip in to study and homeless people can duck the rain and surf the Web, a battle is brewing over what people--children and adults--can view on public, Internet-connected computers. As a result of a new federal law, the San Francisco Public Library and thousands of other libraries across the country are facing a conundrum: filter Internet content against their will or risk losing federal funds. The law, called the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), forces schools and libraries that receive government money to block Web images deemed harmful to minors. San Francisco, long a bastion of free love and free speech, is taking a stand against what officials there see as censorship by refusing to filter content. "Putting filters on the Internet sometimes blocks constitutionally protected speech," said Marcia Schneider, public affairs director of the San Francisco Public Library system. "Many librarians feel that filters don't protect children from porn, that they lead to a false sense of security." The filtering law--which is facing legal challenges from groups including the America Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the American Library Association (ALA) and an organization of California libraries that includes San Francisco--is the latest in a long line of attempts to regulate Web content. Although the founders of the Web envisioned a freewheeling community where people of all persuasions could communicate without the legal constraints of the real world, the self- appointed moral keepers of society have had a different idea. Fearing that easy access to a flurry of pornographic and violent content could taint Net users in general and children in particular, some groups have set out to restrict what people can see and read on the Web. The results so far have been largely unsuccessful: Two major federal legislative attempts have been tossed out because of First Amendment violations. And most efforts at the state level have failed as well. However, proponents of a content crackdown are learning from their experiences and tailoring successive rounds of legislation more narrowly in efforts to avoid the constitutional blunders of the past. The major tool for filtering is software that resides either on a client computer or a local server. Such software was designed to help parents protect their children from smut, and filtering advocates are hoping that libraries and schools will install it in response to CIPA. The local method of filtering has been the preferred approach in the United States and differs from steps taken in more oppressive countries, where governments have tried to use state-run Internet service providers and other methods to block content. Of course, the debate over censorship is as old as the written word. But the Web has opened a new chapter of the debate by providing access to a world of content larger than any library could ever house, a world where sites catering to people's most-primal fantasies are just a mouse click away. In some ways, peddlers of porn and other vices have become more insidious. After all, Web pages catering to fetishes of all stripes can be found at sites containing seemingly innocuous words such as "whitehouse," "Barbie" or "childrensbiblestories." What's more, once people stumble onto such a site--either unwittingly or intentionally--they often are trapped there by countless technological tricks including misleading metatags and a disabled back button. It is this phenomenon of porn on demand--available anytime to people of all ages--that's alarmed individuals such as Donna Rice Hughes, an Internet safety advocate and former leader of the anti- porn group Enough is Enough. For years, Hughes, the Gary Hart love interest turned born-again Christian, has been on a crusade to combat the seedy side of the Net through regulation, a battle that has culminated with the latest filtering bill. Hughes promotes government intervention because, she said, "parents...can't be expected to shoulder the entire burden." Her targets these days are those she calls "pornapreneurs": businesspeople looking to make a buck by capitalizing on the underbelly of the Web. Hughes began her battle in the mid-1990s, helping to craft legislation that eventually became the Communications Decency Act (CDA). The act was a wide-ranging attempt to clean up Internet smut, making it a felony to deliver indecent material to minors via the Net. Congress passed the measure as part of a massive telecom reform bill in 1996, but the ACLU, ALA and others challenged it on free- speech grounds. In 1997, in its first Web-related case, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned major portions of it. Next came the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), which was attached to a budget bill in 1998 and dubbed the "son of CDA." Though less restrictive than its predecessor--the law targeted only commercial sites, preventing them from purveying sexually explicit material to children--a federal appeals court again tossed out major parts of it on First Amendment grounds. However, the Justice Department recently filed an appeal in an attempt to revive COPA. What's more, a commission was impaneled in fall 1999 to submit recommendations to Congress on dealing with Web material that's harmful to minors. In a report released in October, the commission recommended parental education and self-regulation for the porn industry, but it refused to promote filters. Despite that, CIPA, the law that mandates filtering, passed in December. Introduced by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., it represents a more tailored attempt at regulating content. Unlike the two previous acts, it restricts only visual depictions, affects only schools and libraries, and ties restrictions to federal funds. "What we learned is that we had to try to find a way to extend the protections children have in the real world, to find a way to siphon off the material from kids without impeding on the rights of adults," said Hughes, who's also a COPA commissioner and a consultant to FamilyClick.com. "You need a targeted approach. You can't do everything all at once." The major federal attempts to regulate content have had many similarities: All were more narrowly tailored than their predecessors; all were attached to sweeping bills in an effort to avoid public debate over the matter; and all have been challenged in court. In the latest round of the cultural war over Internet content, the ACLU and ALA sued on grounds that the latest filtering bill violates the First Amendment by restricting content in libraries. What's more, the groups argue that the bill further accelerates the digital divide by forcing people who don't have computers at home to surf a filtered Web. The filtering bill also presents technical challenges, partly because it requires the blocking only of visual depictions. "The problem is just blocking out the illegal stuff," said Nika Herford, a spokesman for filtering company Net Nanny Software International. For example, how will a computer program distinguish between the nude, reclining figure in Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres' "La Grand Odalisque" and a porn star poised for prurience? "They think they are going to win because they've made the law so narrow, but the technology maybe can't deliver that," Herford warned. To complicate matters, the U.S. Supreme Court has just agreed to hear arguments regarding the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996, a law that makes it illegal to possess digital images of sexual acts featuring people who "appear to be" minors, even if they aren't. A federal appeals court in California has struck down that portion of the law, but three other district courts have upheld it, despite warnings from free-speech groups that it could make owning a digital copy of movies such as "Lolita" or "Romeo and Juliet" punishable by years in prison. In addition to the federal attempts, several states have tried to clamp down on Internet porn. However, most have not succeeded. Then there are court battles in Virginia and California regarding specific libraries and their filtering habits, or lack thereof. Courts in both states have ruled in favor of free-speech advocates. A Virginia court has ordered a Loudoun County library to stop filtering, and a California court has sided with a library that refused to filter. So far, librarians are cheering their court victories. "We continue to prevail in court, and we expect to do so again," said Susan Gallinger, director of the Livermore Library in California, which so far has fended off a court challenge by a mother who wants the library to filter. "It's the typical practice of trying to impose their values on everybody else. Librarians don't want to be put in that role." Whatever the outcome of the filtering challenges, one thing is certain. The debate over Web content regulation will rage for years to come. When overturning parts of the CDA, Judge Stewart Dalzell called the Internet a "never-ending worldwide conversation" that should be protected from government intervention. Still, James Schmidt, a San Jose State University professor and COPA commissioner at the opposite end of the spectrum from Hughes, predicted filtering proponents won't back off anytime soon, even if their latest bill doesn't pass constitutional muster. "Until and unless that school of thought is satisfied that appropriate government regulation is being taken to protect kids, this debate will go on and on and on," he said. Copyright 2001 ZD Inc. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From bhigh at eskimo.com Sat Apr 21 00:51:36 2001 From: bhigh at eskimo.com (Brian High) Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2001 00:51:36 -0700 Subject: SCN: Ruling seen as victory for online speech Message-ID: <004601c0ca37$e600d480$c900005a@happygardening.com> Ruling seen as victory for online speech By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com April 20, 2001, 1:25 p.m. PT A federal judge in Seattle has ruled in favor of upholding the right to speak anonymously on the Web, marking victory for those seeking to protect online speech from legal dragnets. U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly struck down a subpoena that would have required Web service InfoSpace to disclose the identity of nearly two-dozen people who posted anonymous comments on message boards. The decision will make it harder to obtain the identities of people who post messages on the Net unless they are directly named in a lawsuit or are essential to a claim. http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5680704.html?tag=mn_hd Copyright ©1995-2001 CNET Networks, Inc. All rights reserved. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From jj at scn.org Thu Apr 26 09:15:29 2001 From: jj at scn.org (J. Johnson) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 09:15:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: "SCN was no longer going to exist" Message-ID: One of the highlights of the annual meeting was a presentation on "The Suit" from one of the lawyers. And late breaking news: Rich has filed an appeal! Apparently he didn't get the hint when the trial judge said he didn't even have a strong enough case to bring to trial. There weren't many details on the specific events, but the judgment had some interesting aspects. You all will recall that Rich actually filed a complaint with the Bar about SCN's first lawyer, maintaining that SCN's case was so weak that it was unethical to even attempt a defense. Well, it turns out that in the summary judgement _Rich_ was fined $625 for bringing a frivolous lawsuit, plus another $150 for non-cooperation during the discovery proceedings. However, that is peanuts. Rich's suit (despite his claim that it would not harm SCN financially) has cost us at least $4,000. And the pro bono ("free") lawyers from Preston, Gates, and Ellis have logged about 500 hours on this case; at their normal billing rate of $190 an hour this would have cost $95,000!! To quote one of our Board members: "There were times when SCN was no longer going to exist. Because it was not economically viable for the organization to continue because we couldn't afford to pay for the lawsuit. It would have been easier to shut down the doors and start a new organization. So the fact that we have SCN today really is due to our volunteer commitment, our membership commitment--and the wonderful and timely help of Preston, Gates, & Ellis, their entire firm and wonderful attorneys." Another: without them, "we wouldn't be here." The wonderful attornies are Jason Holtman and Steve Mutkoski. It has been suggested--and I strongly endorse!--that messages be sent to Preston, Gates, & Ellis (and specifically to Steve Peltin, stevep at prestongates.com) thanking them for saving us. It was an dumb lawsuit (it "was dumb last year, and it's _still_ dumb!"), by a user with an over-blown opinion of himself. But it could have sunk SCN. Do send a message of appreciation. === JJ ============================================================= * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From bn890 at scn.org Thu Apr 26 14:03:28 2001 From: bn890 at scn.org (Irene Mogol) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 14:03:28 -0700 (PDT) Subject: SCN: "SCN was no longer going to exist" In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Steve, Thank you for helping us stay alive. Irene Mogol One of the very dedicated volunteers of SCN * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * * From steve at advocate.net Thu Apr 26 23:26:01 2001 From: steve at advocate.net (Steve) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 23:26:01 -0700 Subject: SCN: More on DeCSS Message-ID: <3AE8AE89.24547.2E29E55@localhost> x-no-archive: yes ======================== (Carl S. Kaplan, NY Times)---There's a long-accepted notion in the publishing world that between the right of an author to control the uses of his book and the right of a reader to engage in free speech is the safety valve known as "fair use." The fair use doctrine under copyright law permits uncompensated use of copyrighted works in some circumstances, such as in teaching, research and news gathering. Thanks to fair use, a reporter can quote portions of a newsworthy letter in an article and a scholar can use parts of a poem in a dissertation. But there's a related question that has never been settled by the courts: Does fair use, which has its roots in the First Amendment, entitle the scholar, reporter or others to gain access to the copyrighted work in the first place -- -- especially when the material is guarded by a technological device designed to prevent digital piracy? The riddle is not some academic musing. It's at the heart of a closely-watched copyright and First Amendment case winding its way through the federal appeals maze. A panel of judges from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in Manhattan, is scheduled to hear arguments in the case, "Universal City Studios v. Reimerdes," on May 1. In what is sure to be a packed courtroom, Kathleen M. Sullivan, the dean of Stanford Law School and a celebrated First Amendment scholar, will argue for the defendant Eric Corley, a Long Island- based editor and publisher of 2600, a hacker publication and Web site. Arguing for the other side, a group of movie studios, will be Charles Sims, a New York-based lawyer. A lawyer for the Department of Justice, Daniel S. Alter, will also address the panel. Whatever the Second Circuit decides, legal experts say it's likely the case will be heard eventually in the United States Supreme Court. The case revolves around a piece of software devised by a Norwegian teenager called DeCSS. The underground code, available on the Internet, decrypts or unlocks the information in an encrypted DVD movie disk and allows a user to view the film on an unauthorized Linux DVD player or place it on a hard drive, potentially for copying or mass distribution. Not surprisingly, DeCSS became Hollywood's nightmare. Last year eight major studios filed suit in federal court against Corley for posting the software on his own Web site and linking to other sites that also contained the code. The studios argued that Corley's actions in providing and "trafficking" in the software violated a federal law, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, which prohibits distribution of a device that is primarily designed to circumvent a technological barrier guarding a copyrighted work. (Shawn Reimerdes, another defendant, was earlier dropped from the case). Following a trial last summer, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the United States District Court for the Southern District, in Manhattan, agreed with the studios that Corley's distribution of the code violated the law. He issued an order banning Corley from posting or linking to the software. Significantly, Judge Kaplan also found that the anti-trafficking law passed constitutional muster even though it does not include any fair use safety valve. According to Judge Kaplan, anyone who distributes DeCSS code violates the law, even if he distributes it to someone who merely wishes to employ it to 'unlock' a movie and make a fair use of it. "This case poses the most important constitutional issues of the first part of the 21st Century," said Eben Moglen, a law professor at Columbia Law School and one of the co-authors of a friend-of-the- court brief supporting Corley. "The case points up the intrinsic First Amendment conflict with the new law of copyright," he said. On appeal, the legal arguments will consider whether Congress may pass a law that, in effect, allows movie studios not only to place a digital "lock" on their films but also to sue anyone who distributes the digital key. Such powers would prevent pirates from copying films but fair users as well. Various civil liberties groups, some law professors and the defendant in the Universal lawsuit all argued in briefs and friend-of- the-court briefs that the First Amendment absolutely requires that would-be fair users have the right to use certain information -- such as decryption software -- to gain access to copyrighted works. They argue that the doctrine of fair use becomes meaningless in a digital world where any publisher, movie studio or record company can place an electronic wrapper around a work of art making it impossible to make a fair-use copy. In the past, when a company published a book, the fair use rights of readers limited its control over the work. But if the same company issues a book today and encrypts it, its control over readers is far greater -- in fact, almost unlimited -- unless there is a right of access to the material. The plaintiffs in the lawsuit, along with law professors and the Department of Justice, argued in a flurry of briefs and friend-of-the- court briefs that the First Amendment does not require that would-be fair users gain access to books and movies. "There is no right to use [decryption] software" so as to use a protected work for fair use purposes, Rodney A. Smolla, a law professor at the University of Richmond and co-author of a friend-of- the-court brief, said in an interview. "You don't have a fair use right to view an HBO televised fight and make a copy of it," he said. "Similarly, a movie theater can restrict access by charging admission -- even charging a movie critic," he said. In fact, he added, there is nothing preventing an author from hoarding a work and not sharing it with the public, including would- be fair users. In addition, said the movie studios in legal papers, using encryption software to prevent mass digital piracy would be impossible if consumers could freely distribute and study decryption software. "This is an important, practical issue," Charles Sims, the lawyer representing the movie studios, said in an interview. "One reason why e-books have been so delayed is that the publishers are concerned about the security of their works and their ability to earn a fair profit without the books getting pirated the first day out there," he said. "The ability of technological protection schemes to be backed up by . . . some enforcement is vital," he added. According to Peter Jazsi, a law professor at American University's Washington College of Law and a co-author of a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Corley, the Second Circuit has three choices with respect to the First Amendment/Fair Use debate. They can accept, as Judge Kaplan did, the "unforgiving nature" of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and uphold it against the First Amendment challenge mounted by Corley. Or they can disagree with Judge Kaplan's analysis and say that the anti-trafficking provision "is too much in tension with free expression to stand," said Jazsi. Alternately, the court may "save" the anti-trafficking statute from unconstitutionality by interpreting it as containing a fair use loophole. "That's where fair use originally came in," said Jazsi. "The judges made it up. It's been around in the American case law since the middle of the 19th Century, and only made it into federal law in 1976," he said. Jazsi said that a second major issue that the Second Circuit will grapple with is the constitutionality of Judge Kaplan's order banning Corley from linking to sites that provide the DeCSS code. "The whole question of liability for linking . . . is still in its infancy," he said. "I would be very concerned about the broad precedential impact of the Second Circuit's embrace of [Judge] Kaplan's rule." But Sims, the movie studio's lawyer, said the linking ban was narrow in scope and justified because Corley had been previously told by the court to stop distributing DeCSS. Corley's subsequent list of links, which he termed an act of electronic civil disobedience, frustrated the will of the court, Sims said. Copyright 2001 The New York Times Company * * * * * * * * * * * * * * From the Listowner * * * * * * * * * * * * . To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to: majordomo at scn.org In the body of the message, type: unsubscribe scn ==== Messages posted on this list are also available on the web at: ==== * * * * * * * http://www.scn.org/volunteers/scn-l/ * * * * * * *