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741 lines
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Computer underground Digest Sun Dec 5 1993 Volume 5 : Issue 91
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ISSN 1004-042X
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Editors: Jim Thomas and Gordon Meyer (TK0JUT2@NIU.BITNET)
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Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
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Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
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Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
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Ian Dickinson
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Copy Editor: Tamen O. DeSchrew, III
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CONTENTS, #5.91 (Dec 5 1993)
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File 1--Anarchy Gone Awry
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File 2--PC Security books reprints material from AIS (Review)
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File 3--Apple Computers bitten by Conservatives
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File 4--GAO Report on Computers and Privacy
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File 5--New Docs Reveal NSA Role in
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File 6--REMINDER: CFP '94 SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE APPROACHING
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File 7--DIAC-94 Call for Participation
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Cu-Digest is a weekly electronic journal/newsletter. Subscriptions are
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available at no cost electronically from tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu. The
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editors may be contacted by voice (815-753-0303), fax (815-753-6302)
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or U.S. mail at: Jim Thomas, Department of Sociology, NIU, DeKalb, IL
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60115.
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Issues of CuD can also be found in the Usenet comp.society.cu-digest
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news group; on CompuServe in DL0 and DL4 of the IBMBBS SIG, DL1 of
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LAWSIG, and DL1 of TELECOM; on GEnie in the PF*NPC RT
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libraries and in the VIRUS/SECURITY library; from America Online in
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the PC Telecom forum under "computing newsletters;"
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On Delphi in the General Discussion database of the Internet SIG;
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on the PC-EXEC BBS at (414) 789-4210; and on: Rune Stone BBS (IIRG
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WHQ) (203) 832-8441 NUP:Conspiracy; RIPCO BBS (312) 528-5020
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CuD is also available via Fidonet File Request from 1:11/70; unlisted
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nodes and points welcome.
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EUROPE: from the ComNet in LUXEMBOURG BBS (++352) 466893;
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In ITALY: Bits against the Empire BBS: +39-461-980493
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ANONYMOUS FTP SITES:
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AUSTRALIA: ftp.ee.mu.oz.au (128.250.77.2) in /pub/text/CuD.
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EUROPE: ftp.funet.fi in pub/doc/cud. (Finland)
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UNITED STATES:
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aql.gatech.edu (128.61.10.53) in /pub/eff/cud
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etext.archive.umich.edu (141.211.164.18) in /pub/CuD/cud
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ftp.eff.org (192.88.144.4) in /pub/cud
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halcyon.com( 202.135.191.2) in /pub/mirror/cud
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ftp.warwick.ac.uk in pub/cud (United Kingdom)
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KOREA: ftp: cair.kaist.ac.kr in /doc/eff/cud
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COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST is an open forum dedicated to sharing
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information among computerists and to the presentation and debate of
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diverse views. CuD material may be reprinted for non-profit as long
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as the source is cited. Authors hold a presumptive copyright, and
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they should be contacted for reprint permission. It is assumed that
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non-personal mail to the moderators may be reprinted unless otherwise
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specified. Readers are encouraged to submit reasoned articles
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relating to computer culture and communication. Articles are
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preferred to short responses. Please avoid quoting previous posts
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unless absolutely necessary.
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DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent
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the views of the moderators. Digest contributors assume all
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responsibility for ensuring that articles submitted do not
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violate copyright protections.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Thu, 02 Dec 93 04:36:10 -0700
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From: "L. Detweiler" <ld231782@LONGS.LANCE.COLOSTATE.EDU>
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Subject: File 1--Anarchy Gone Awry
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Mr. Leichter raises some extremely pivotal issues in CUD #5.90 related
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to the %anarchy' of the Internet. B.Sterling is the author of one of
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the most brilliantly colorful characterizations and metaphors of the
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Internet as %anarchic', comparing its evolution and development to that
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of the English language:
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> The Internet's %anarchy' may seem strange or even unnatural, but
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> it makes a certain deep and basic sense. It's rather like the
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> %anarchy' of the English language. Nobody rents English, and
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> nobody owns English. As an English-speaking person, it's up
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> to you to learn how to speak English properly and make whatever
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> use you please of it (though the government provides certain
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> subsidies to help you learn to read and write a bit).
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> Otherwise, everybody just sort of pitches in, and somehow the
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> thing evolves on its own, and somehow turns out workable. And
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> interesting. Fascinating, even. Though a lot of people earn
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> their living from using and exploiting and teaching English,
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> %English' as an institution is public property, a public good.
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> Much the same goes for the Internet. Would English be improved
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> if the %The English Language, Inc.' had a board of directors
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> and a chief executive officer, or a President and a Congress?
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> There'd probably be a lot fewer new words in English, and a lot
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> fewer new ideas.
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Unfortunately, though, having attended a lecture by Mr. Sterling and
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having read %The Hacker Crackdown', I think he has a tendency to
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overdramatize and glorify quasi-criminal behavior and rebellious,
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subversive, revolutionary aspects of social structures, including those
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of the Internet. In my view, to the contrary the Internet is largely
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held together with the glue of social cohesion and human civility, and
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ingredients that are destructive to that order are likewise toxic to
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Cyberspace, and that, conversely, virtually all of the excruciating
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poison in the bloodstream today can be traced to violations and
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perversions of that trust. (Unfortunately, the English language is
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itself subject to unpleasant, corrupt, or toxic uses such as for
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profanity, disinformation, and lies, which are prevented or at least
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minimized through rejections by honest people.) I agree with Mr.
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Leichter in the belief (to paraphrase Twain) that %reports of the
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anarchy on the Internet are greatly exaggerated'.
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Leichter:
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>The Internet has been
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>described as an anarchy, but in fact only relatively small parts of
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>the Internet are actually anarchic.
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I would like to go further than this and suggest that the Internet has
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been over-promoted as %anarchic' by certain subversive, quasi-criminal
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segments that have found a tenacious hold there, namely extremist
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libertarians and %Cryptoanarchists'. The Cryptoanarchist cause is
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closely associated with the Cypherpunk founders E.Hughes and T.C.May
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(characterized particularly by the latter's infamous signature), who in
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my view appear to promote not merely %privacy for the masses' and %the
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cryptographic revolution', but at least condone or tolerate the use of
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collections of imaginary identities to manipulate and deceive others,
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and even to evade legitimate government actions such as criminal
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prosecutions. My most strident requests for their position, personal
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knowledge, and potential involvement in this practice have gone
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unanswered, evaded, and repressed over many weeks, but I have many
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statements from followers that might be regarded as %cult fanatics'
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about the Liberating Effects of %pseudoanonymity', which they exalt as
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True Anonymity.
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In my opinion, in this regard of the ease of creating fake identities,
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the %anarchic' vulnerability of the Internet reaches its peak in
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undesirable and socially poisonous consequences, which people are
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bloodily battling daily on many diverse mailing lists and Usenet
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groups. In my experience, the Internet inhabitants I have found who
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most fanatically worship the Internet %anarchy' seem to be closely
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associated with criminally subversive aims of pornography distribution,
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tax evasion, black marketeering, and overthrow of governments, goals
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which are all masked in much of the eloquent Cryptoanarchist dogma and
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rhetoric. While some of us have glimpsed various hideous corners of
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Cyberspatial Hell, those who subscribe to the Liberating Religion of
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Anarchy are in their Paradise on the Internet As We Know It. I call
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their Utopia a Ticking Time Bomb and a Recipe for an Apocalypse.
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I have come to these (admittedly melodramatic) conclusions after %10
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months and %3500 messages of generally unpleasant and at times
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excruciatingly troubling and painful reading and participation on the
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Cypherpunks list and many personal communications with the Cypherpunk
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leaders including E.Hughes, T.C.May, and J.Gilmore. In fact, in my
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opinion the %Psychopunk Manifesto' parody in CUD #5.89, which longtime
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cypherpunk list subscriber P.Ferguson describes in 5.90 as having %made
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its rounds in the cyberspatial world', actually in many ways comes
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closer to delineating the actual cypherpunk agenda than the one
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authored by founder E.Hughes on soda.berkeley.edu:
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/pub/cypherpunks/rants/A_Cypherpunk's_Manifesto. The satire is
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actually a reformulated version of the original Manifesto, and the
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former's amazing meme-virus penetration of the into the cyberspatial
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psyche that P.Ferguson alludes to is indicative of its resonance over the
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latter.
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I gave the Cypherpunks the most extraordinary benefit of the doubt for
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months, far beyond that of a reasonable cyberspatial inhabitant. But
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now I must warn everyone who can hear me that if they assign the
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%cypherpunks' as an organization the same credibility as a group like
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EFF or CPSR they are dangerously, perhaps disastrously, misguided. They
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appear to me to the contrary to be the cultivators of a flourishing
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conspiracy and essentially the first Cyberspatial guerilla and
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terrorist group! The Psychopunk satirization of the Cryptoanarchists is
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representative of this Internet Anarchy Gone Awry.
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More information on the CryptoAnarchist & Cypherpunk agenda can be
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found in RISKS 15.25, 15.27, and 15.28x (FTP crvax.sri.com, directory
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RISKS:). I also have an essay %Joy of Pseudospoofing', regarding the
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dangerous consequences and poisonous effects of the manipulations of
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fake cyberspatial identities such as on the Internet by
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Cryptoanarchists, available to anyone who requests it from me by email
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at <ld231782@longs.lance.colostate.edu>.
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* * *
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I think that many people have mistaken the word %anarchic,' implying no
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overseeing authority or order (which the Internet is less) with the
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word %decentralized' (which the Internet is more). Again, the
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Internet has many regulatory and self-governing systems and orders.
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For example, connecting sites are required to implement a certain
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minimum set of software standards and prevent or even root out
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corruptions in their local sites and software. We have centralized
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databases that require the registration of domains for fees. A complex
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network of agreements and policies governs interconnectivity and
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communication, and a complicated interplay of elements affects basic
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content such as %commercial vs. academic.' Lack of some of these
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regulations and protocols would be disastrous.
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Leichter:
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>Most of the Internet, in fact, is
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>better described as self-governing. There are a variety of social
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>norms concerning network use and interactions. One doesn't post
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>messages to unrelated groups. One doesn't evade moderation
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>restrictions. One maintains a certain (rather limited, it must be
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>admitted) degree of restraint in how one describes other network
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>participants. There are few effective mechanisms for enforcing these
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>norms, and they are certainly broken on an all-too-regular basis; but
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>the network continues to function because social pressure *can* be
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>applied to those who become too annoying; and in the most outrageous
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>cases, it's possible to remove the offenders' access to the net.
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I advocate that we build new formal mechanisms to enforce this order!
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We have for too long pretended that a central element of the Internet
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is not integral to it, namely that of the %degree of restraint over
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network participants' exerted through %social pressure'. Let us codify
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and formalize these %norms concerning network use and interactions' and
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develop systems that enforce them! I believe such systems can be
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developed that do not stray from the sacred Internet tradition of
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decentralization of control and freedom from censorship. Why should we
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continue to subject ourselves to the torture of %few effective
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mechanisms for enforcing these norms broken on an all-too-regular basis'?
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One of my most enduring Cyberspatial hallucinations is that of a
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Ratings server. A Ratings server would be a massive distributed network
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for the propagation of information similar to Usenet, and could
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conceivably be built upon it. But the Ratings server is not
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Information, as Usenet is, it is Information about Information. Anyone
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can post an arbitrary message to the Ratings server that refers to
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Information somewhere else in Cyberspace. It is in a sense a Rating of
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that Information. The Information could be *anything* -- a mailing
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list, a person, a particular Usenet posting, an FTP site. But postings
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on the Ratings server can be perused by anyone, and anyone can
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contribute Ratings to the server or indicate their own opinion on the
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existing Ratings. Different mechanisms exist such that some Ratings are
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%local' and some are updated globally.
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The fantastic possibilities of this system are evident upon some
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reflection and consideration. We could establish arbitrary new groups
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that have *formal* requirements that are matched by Ratings servers.
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For example, we could require that new sites that enter the Internet be
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%trusted' by an existing site. We could require that membership in
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certain groups requires a certain amount of collateral peer approval,
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with automatic suspension or expulsion as the consequences for
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violating it! We could have *meaningful* polls on arbitrary issues. We
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could have news servers that automatically sort and archive articles
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according to their passing certain Ratings thresholds. We could
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restrict the influence of troublemakers! These are all examples of
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strengthening and formalizing the informal social orders that are, in
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my opinion, today just barely holding the Internet together. With a
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Ratings system, I think the civility of the Internet would increase to
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a fantastic degree. In short, we could have our *own* cyberspatial government!
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Note that there is no centralized authority or unfair influence in this
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system, unless people corrupt their servers. When everyone who has
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joined a group *individually* decides to screen their postings of
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messages that fail to meet a certain %quality' or posters who have a
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certain %reputation', that is not Orwellian Censorship but the
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beautiful Internet freedom and right of Bozo Filtering. When everyone
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who joins a group *agrees* to a charter that may bar troublemakers
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based on Ratings, no one can claim they are being unfairly oppressed.
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Other extremely interesting implementation issues in the use of the
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Ratings servers can be addressed in detail. For example, the use of
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cryptographic protocols to ensure the integrity of voting or privacy of
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certain entries will certainly prove invaluable and even critical to
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their development. The optimal protocols for the localization or
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distribution of votes will surely be subject to extremely fascinating
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and fruitful research. In my view the concept of a Ratings server is
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wide open territory and holds some immensely promising potential in
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finally, valiantly slaying the dreaded, ugly, vicious Signal to Noise
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Monsters harassing, terrorizing, and torturing us everywhere on the
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Internet, to be replaced with Shining Castles.
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I urge anyone interested in developing %civilized systems for
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cyberspace' to subscribe to a new group I have helped start with
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J.Helgingius (owner of the popular and revolutionary anon.penet.fi
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anonymous server) called the Cypherwonks, dedicated to openness,
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honesty, and cooperation on the Internet, and building sophisticated
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new systems to promote social harmony in Future Cyberspace. We are
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particularly fascinated with the possibilities of %Electronic
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Democracy'. (Send a message to %MajorDomo@lists.eunet.fi' with the body
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the commands %info' or %subscribe cypherwonks'.)
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I fervently hope that the glorifications and manipulations of Internet
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Anarchy by mouth-frothing libertarian extremists, Cryptoanarchists,
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and sympathizers can be adequately controlled and minimized in the
|
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future, and some harmonious systems and effective countermeasures
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along the lines of the Rating server can be established by visionaries
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and tinkerers, but in any case, for the sake of humanity's integrity,
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sanity, and well-being, I pray that Future Cyberspace is far less
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Anarchic than the Current Internet.
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------------------------------
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Date: 24 Nov 93 15:32:40 EST
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From: Urnst Kouch - Crypt Newsletter <70743.1711@COMPUSERVE.COM>
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Subject: File 2--PC Security books reprints material from AIS (Review)
|
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"NETWORK SECURITY SECRETS" BENEFITS FROM PUBLIC ACCESS INFORMATION ON
|
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THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY'S 'UNDERGROUND' SECURITY BULLETIN BOARD
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SYSTEM
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"Network Security Secrets," by David Stang, Ph.D., and Sylvia Moon,
|
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(IDG Books, $49.95) is the first mainstream publication which benefits
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directly from the accumulated data on Kim Clancy's Dept. of Treasury
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bulletin board system (AIS), gagged earlier this year.
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board supervised by the Department of Treasury contained unadulterated
|
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hacker files which were given to callers interested in the material.
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Other computer security workers and anti-virus developers mounted a
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smear campaign which landed in the pages of The Washington Post,
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causing the system to withdraw the information. The original argument
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had been that it was information which would most benefit security
|
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managers unable to find the material elsewhere. The publication of
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"Network Security Secrets," proves the argument a valid one, although
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it tries hard to deny it.
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In keeping with the political correctness of the times (read
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_hypocrisy_), the book fails to directly cite the material gathered
|
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from the Dept. of Treasury system while reprinting portions of it
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essentially verbatim.
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Of course, this makes "Network Security Secrets" a very interesting
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read.
|
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One of Stang's central points in "Security Secrets" is that good
|
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security stems from bringing necessary information to the workers
|
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employed where the rubber meets the road. This practice, he writes,
|
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is often opposed to management interested only in imposing a rigid
|
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heirarchical structure on the workplace. The workers who will have to
|
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deal with security problems such as intrusion from desk-top dial-ups,
|
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password and access control plus the occasional virus aren't thought
|
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to be trustworthy enough to be brought into the information loop.
|
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"Network Security Secrets" says this is bad and it's correct.
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|
Consequently, where does quality information come from; where is it
|
|||
|
gathered?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In the chapter "Bulletin Boards and Security" under "Looking at the
|
|||
|
Dark Side," Stang published a screen display taken from the Department
|
|||
|
of Treasury, of which he says, "We doubt the agency was aware of this
|
|||
|
part of its board," which presumes quite a bit, incorrectly, I might
|
|||
|
add.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In any case, "This part of the board" lists the hacking files culled
|
|||
|
from PHRACK and other underground journals and BBS's. The data
|
|||
|
addresses viruses, telephonic and network security concerns. "Manly
|
|||
|
Hacking" is one such entry. Written by "Shit-Kicking Jim," it was
|
|||
|
only found on Clancy's system prior to publication in a later issue of
|
|||
|
PHRACK.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Network Security Secrets" also reprints an underground document
|
|||
|
gained from AIS called "Hacking Novell Local Area Networks" and marks
|
|||
|
it with one of those happy little icons computer books are seeded with
|
|||
|
to satisfy readers whose reading comprehension is deemed not much
|
|||
|
beyond "First Grade Coloring Book Exercises."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The icon is a treasure chest marked "Secret: This icon points to
|
|||
|
information which gives some special insight into network security."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The book also republishes material on network hacking programs
|
|||
|
NETCRACK and GETIT, a resident password and keystroke leech, all
|
|||
|
gained from AIS.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
So that answers the question: Yes, information written by the computer
|
|||
|
underground is valuable, worthy of exposure in a $50 mainstream
|
|||
|
computer volume.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
By the same token, Stang writes, "This is a sensitive subject, and
|
|||
|
some may argue the information may land into the wrong hands. We'll
|
|||
|
argue that it's already in the wrong hands and the 'good guys' need to
|
|||
|
know what they're up against." And that's the same argument Treasury
|
|||
|
used to defend AIS, a system Stang labels from "the Dark Side." What a
|
|||
|
poor sport!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Stang and Moon wrestle on and off with the idea of information access
|
|||
|
throughout the book, coming down more in favor of those who weirdly
|
|||
|
think that by publishing such information, you somehow endorse it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
They mention book publishers who specialize in so-called fringe
|
|||
|
subjects as lock-picking and personal revenge. "No, we won't give you
|
|||
|
their address!" they write.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In the same paragraph "Network Security" mentions "Make 'Em Pay," one
|
|||
|
paperback devoted to practical jokes and payback techniques.
|
|||
|
Published by Lyle Stuart, I found "Make 'Em Pay" in the humor section
|
|||
|
of Crown Books, the largest generic bookstore chain in California. So
|
|||
|
much for the stone reality of access control, a reality which
|
|||
|
corporate management appears to work hard to ignore.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Despite these major idiosyncracies, "Network Security Secrets" is
|
|||
|
still a better than average book on the subject. Stang works hard to
|
|||
|
avoid jargon, failing only when he hands off to someone else in a
|
|||
|
chapter on encryption: ". . . the DES was promulgated by NIST to
|
|||
|
provide a system that protects the confidentiality and integrity of
|
|||
|
the federal government's sensitive unclassified computer information.
|
|||
|
FIPS PUB 46 is based on work at IBM and has been approved as the
|
|||
|
American National Standard X3.92-1981/R1987." Sadly, it appears there
|
|||
|
will never be a shortage of computer writers who specialize in
|
|||
|
jargo-hackese.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Network Security Secrets" also sports a slight, dry sense of humor.
|
|||
|
On bulletin boards, Stang writes "Does the software include the use of
|
|||
|
a SYSOP-editable trashcan file of caller names that are immediately
|
|||
|
ejected ('hacker,' 'crap,' 'John Dvorak," and so on)?" I had to laugh
|
|||
|
at that one.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
At $50, even with two diskettes, "Network Security" isn't cheap. But
|
|||
|
it does give you your money's worth as a reasonably detailed overview
|
|||
|
of PC network security.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
[Addendum: Stang, who represents Norman Data Defense Systems, was the
|
|||
|
man the Secret Service called when its networks were contaminated with
|
|||
|
the Satan Bug virus.]
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1993 09:47:07 -0600 (CST)
|
|||
|
From: Charles Stanford <cstanfor@BIGCAT.MISSOURI.EDU>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 3--Apple Computers bitten by Conservatives
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
((MODERATORS' NOTE: The following was also reported on PBS' All
|
|||
|
Things Considered)).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
+--------- Forwarded message ----------
|
|||
|
Date--Wed, 1 Dec 1993 08:06:04 -0600
|
|||
|
From--"G. D. Mitchell" <mitchell@SEAS.SMU.EDU>
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As a side note, Apple was originally considering building a plant in
|
|||
|
Texas, just north of Austin (the state capital). However, the county
|
|||
|
in which the plant was to be built decided not to extend the usual tax
|
|||
|
break to Apple because of their policy of extending benefits to
|
|||
|
non-married partners of Apple employees, both hetero- and homosexual.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I heard county officials stating that the communities involved were
|
|||
|
less concerned about the possible jobs they would lose, and more
|
|||
|
concerned with "family values". I think this is taking place in
|
|||
|
Williamson County, fyi. There's so many damn counties in Texas that I
|
|||
|
probably don't know more than a fourth of them :) so I may be wrong.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I was a little pissed about this when I heard the news yesterday.
|
|||
|
Apple was going to bring 700 jobs to Texas, but these rednecks were
|
|||
|
too afraid that having a few gay couples in the neighborhood might
|
|||
|
make little Johnny queer. It's stupid socially and economically. And
|
|||
|
to think, there are times when I can almost forget that Texas IS a
|
|||
|
backwards state.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Anyone ready to start that Nation of Freaks I was raving about a year
|
|||
|
ago? :)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Fri, 3 Dec 1993 17:09:20 -0600
|
|||
|
From: Jerry Whelan <guru@STASI.BRADLEY.EDU>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 4--GAO Report on Computers and Privacy
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
((MODERATORS' NOTE: Thanks to Jerry Whelan for forwarding over teh GAO
|
|||
|
report on "Communications Privacy." Here, we reprint the introduction.
|
|||
|
The entire document can be retrieved from the CuD ftp sites or the ftp
|
|||
|
sites listed below)).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
To--rsaref-users@RSA.COM
|
|||
|
Acknowledge-To-- KH3@NIHCU.BITNET
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
GAO recently issued a report "Communications Privacy: Federal Policy
|
|||
|
and Actions", GAO/OSI-94-2, dated November 4, 1993, that may be of
|
|||
|
interest to members of your group. The report focused on the
|
|||
|
following issues:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--The need for information privacy in computer and communications
|
|||
|
systems--through such means as encryption, or conversion of
|
|||
|
clear text to an unreadable form--to mitigate the threat of
|
|||
|
economic espionage to U.S. industry;
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--federal agency authority to develop cryptographic standards for
|
|||
|
the protection of sensitive, unclassified information and the
|
|||
|
actions and policies of the National Security Agency (NSA),
|
|||
|
Department of Defense, and of the National Institute of
|
|||
|
Standards and Technology (NI ST), Department of Commerce,
|
|||
|
regarding the selection of federal cryptographic standards;
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--roles, actions, and policies of NSA and the Department of State
|
|||
|
related to export controls for products with encryption
|
|||
|
capabilities and industry rationale for requesting
|
|||
|
liberalization of such controls; and
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) legislative proposal
|
|||
|
regarding telephone systems that use digital communications
|
|||
|
technology.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I have placed an electronic version of the report named OSI-94-2.TXT
|
|||
|
in the GAO-REPORTS anonymous FTP directory at NIH (ftp.cu.nih.gov).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Joe Sokalski, GAO--Los Angeles
|
|||
|
kh3@cu.nih.gov
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1993 14:54:51 EST
|
|||
|
From: Dave Banisar <banisar@WASHOFC.CPSR.ORG>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 5--New Docs Reveal NSA Role in
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
New Docs Reveal NSA Involvement in Digital Telephony Proposal
|
|||
|
From the CPSR Alert 2.06 (Dec. 1, 1993)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A series of memoranda received by CPSR from the Department of Commerce
|
|||
|
last week indicate that the National Security Agency was actively
|
|||
|
involved in the 1992 FBI Digital Telephony Proposal. Two weeks ago,
|
|||
|
documents received by CPSR indicated that the FBI proposal, code named
|
|||
|
"Operation Root Canal," was pushed forward even after reports from the
|
|||
|
field found no cases where electronic surveillance was hampered by new
|
|||
|
technologies. The documents also revealed that the Digital Signature
|
|||
|
Standard was viewed by the FBI as "[t]he first step in our plan to
|
|||
|
deal with the encryption issue."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The earliest memo is dated July 5, 1991, just a few weeks after the
|
|||
|
Senate withdrew a Sense of Congress provision from S-266, the Omnibus
|
|||
|
Crime Bill of 1991, that encouraged service and equipment providers to
|
|||
|
ensure that their equipment would "permit the government to obtain the
|
|||
|
plain text contents of voice, data and other communications...." The
|
|||
|
documents consist of a series of fax transmittal sheets and memos from
|
|||
|
the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Commerce to the
|
|||
|
National Security Agency. Many attachments and drafts, including more
|
|||
|
detailed descriptions of the NSA's proposals, were withheld or
|
|||
|
released with substantial deletions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Also included in the documents is a previously released public
|
|||
|
statement by the National Telecommunications and Information
|
|||
|
Administration entitled "Technological Competitiveness and Policy
|
|||
|
Concerns." The document was requested by Rep. Jack Brooks and states
|
|||
|
that the proposal could obstruct or distort telecommunications
|
|||
|
technology development by limiting fiber optic transmission, ISDN,
|
|||
|
digital cellular services and other technologies until they are
|
|||
|
modified, ... could impair the security of business communications ...
|
|||
|
that could facilitate not only lawful government interception, but
|
|||
|
unlawful interception by others, [and] could impose industries ability
|
|||
|
to offer new services and technologies.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CPSR is planning to appeal the Commerce Department's decision to
|
|||
|
withhold many of the documents.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
To subscribe to the Alert, send the message:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"subscribe cpsr <your name>" (without quotes or brackets) to
|
|||
|
listserv@gwuvm.gwu.edu. Back issues of the Alert are available at the
|
|||
|
CPSR Internet Library FTP/WAIS/Gopher cpsr.org /cpsr/alert
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is a national,
|
|||
|
non-partisan, public-interest organization dedicated to understanding
|
|||
|
and directing the impact of computers on society. Founded in 1981,
|
|||
|
CPSR has 2000 members from all over the world and 22 chapters across
|
|||
|
the country. Our National Advisory Board includes a Nobel laureate and
|
|||
|
three winners of the Turing Award, the highest honor in computer
|
|||
|
science. Membership is open to everyone.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For more information, please contact: cpsr@cpsr.org or visit the CPSR
|
|||
|
discussion conferences on The Well (well.sf.ca.us) or Mindvox
|
|||
|
(phantom.com).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Sat, 4 Dec 1993 18:32:54 CST
|
|||
|
From: Jim Thomas <tk0jut2@mvs.cso.niu.edu>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 6--REMINDER: CFP '94 SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE APPROACHING
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
((MODERATORS' NOTE: The DEADLINE for applications for scholarships to
|
|||
|
the Computer Freedom and Privacy '94 Conference at the Palmer House in
|
|||
|
Chicago is 31 December. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. We are
|
|||
|
reprinting the earlier announcement for those who may have missed it
|
|||
|
last month.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For applicants who do not ultimately receive scholarships, the
|
|||
|
conference organizers are attempting to find inexpensive lodging
|
|||
|
within walking distance to the Palmer House, which is located in the
|
|||
|
center of The Loop)).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Conference on Computers, Freedom & Privacy (CFP'94) is
|
|||
|
pleased to announce that it will once again provide a number of
|
|||
|
full tuition scholarships for attendance at the conference. The
|
|||
|
conference will be held in Chicago, IL from March 23rd through
|
|||
|
March 26th, 1994 and will be hosted by the John Marshall Law
|
|||
|
School under the chairmanship of George Trubow.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The conference traditionally attracts an extremely diverse group
|
|||
|
of persons concerned with issues relating to the rapid
|
|||
|
development of the "information society"; civil libertarians,
|
|||
|
information providers, law enforcement personnel, privacy
|
|||
|
advocates, "hackers", sociologists, educators and students,
|
|||
|
computer professionals, cryptography advocates, government policy
|
|||
|
makers and other interested parties have all played major roles
|
|||
|
in the three previous conference.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Speakers at previous conferences have included Electronic
|
|||
|
Frontier Foundation (EFF) co-founders John Perry Barlow and Mitch
|
|||
|
Kapor, FBI Deputy Director William A. "Al" Bayse, writer Bruce
|
|||
|
Sterling, privacy advocate Simon Davies, Harvard University law
|
|||
|
professor Lawrence Tribe, hacker "Phiber Optik", Georgetown
|
|||
|
University's Dorothy Denning, "Cuckoo's Egg" author Clifford
|
|||
|
Stoll, Prodigy counsel George Perry, USA Today founder Al
|
|||
|
Neuwith, former FCC Chairman Nicholas Johnson, Computer
|
|||
|
Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)'s Marc Rotenberg,
|
|||
|
Arizona prosecutor Gail Thackeray, and Bay Area Women in
|
|||
|
Computing's Judi Clark.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The scholarships are intended to provide access to the conference
|
|||
|
to those that would like to attend the conference but are unable
|
|||
|
to afford the tuition. They are available to undergraduate and
|
|||
|
graduate students in any discipline (previous student attendees
|
|||
|
have come from computer science, law, sociology, liberal arts,
|
|||
|
journalism, and womens' studies backgrounds), law enforcement
|
|||
|
personnel, hackers, social scientists, and others interested in
|
|||
|
the future of the information society.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Persons interested in a scholarship should send the following
|
|||
|
information (e-mail greatly preferred) to:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
John F. McMullen
|
|||
|
CFP'94 Scholarship Chair
|
|||
|
Perry Street
|
|||
|
Jefferson Valley, NY 10535
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
mcmullen@panix.com
|
|||
|
(914) 245-2734 (voice)
|
|||
|
(914) 245-8464 (fax)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
1. Personal Information -- Name, Addresses (including e-mail),
|
|||
|
Phone Numbers, School and/or Business Affiliation
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
2. Short Statement explaining what the applicant helps to get
|
|||
|
from CFP'94 and what impact that attendance may have in the
|
|||
|
applicant's community or future work.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3. Stipulation that the applicant understands that he/she is
|
|||
|
responsible for transportation and lodging expenses related to
|
|||
|
the conference. The scholarship includes tuition and those meals
|
|||
|
included with the conference.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
4. Stipulation that the applicant would not be able to attend the
|
|||
|
conference if a scholarship is not granted.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5. Stipulation that the applicant, if granted a scholarship, will
|
|||
|
attend the conference.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
6. Stipulation that the applicant, if granted a scholarship, will
|
|||
|
provide a written critique of the conference to the scholarship
|
|||
|
committee by April 30, 1994.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Applications will be accepted until December 31, 1993 and
|
|||
|
scholarship winners will be notified by approximately February 1,
|
|||
|
1994.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Please contact John McMullen at the above e-mail address or phone
|
|||
|
numbers with any questions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
John F. McMullen mcmullen@mindvox.phantom.com Consultant,
|
|||
|
knxd@maristb.bitnet mcmullen@well.sf.ca.us Writer,
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1993 17:49:50 EDT
|
|||
|
From: Paul Hyland <PHYLAND@GWUVM.BITNET>
|
|||
|
Subject: File 7--DIAC-94 Call for Participation
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Please post and distribute to interested colleagues.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Call for Workshop Proposals
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Developing an Effective and Equitable Information Infrastructure
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing (DIAC-94) Symposium
|
|||
|
Cambridge, MA, USA
|
|||
|
April 23 - 24, 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The National Information Infrastructure (NII) is being proposed as the
|
|||
|
next-generation "information superhighway" for the 90's and beyond.
|
|||
|
Academia, libraries, government agencies, as well as media and
|
|||
|
telecommunication companies are involved in the current development.
|
|||
|
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) and other
|
|||
|
organizations believe that critical issues regarding the use of the
|
|||
|
NII deserve increased public visibility and participation and is using
|
|||
|
the DIAC Symposium to help address this concern.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The DIAC-94 symposium is a two-day symposium and will consist of
|
|||
|
presentations on the first day and workshops on the second day. The
|
|||
|
DIAC Symposia are held biannually and DIAC-94 will be CPSR's fifth
|
|||
|
such conference. We encourage your participation both through
|
|||
|
attending and through conducting a workshop. We are currently
|
|||
|
soliciting workshop proposals. We suggest proposals on the following
|
|||
|
themes but any topic relating to the symposium theme is welcome.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Systems and Services Policy
|
|||
|
+ Community networks + Funding
|
|||
|
+ Information services + Role of government
|
|||
|
+ Delivery of social services + Economic modelling of networks
|
|||
|
+ Privacy (including medical) + Commercialization of the NII
|
|||
|
+ Educational support + Universal access
|
|||
|
+ Meeting diverse needs + Freedom of expression and
|
|||
|
community standards
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Electronic Democracy Directions and Implications
|
|||
|
+ Access to information + Ubiquitous computing
|
|||
|
+ Electronic town meetings + Global hypertext and multimedia
|
|||
|
+ Threats to democracy + Computing in the workplace
|
|||
|
+ Economic and class disparities + Computing and the environment
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
International Issues Traditional and Virtual Communities
|
|||
|
+ Language differences + MUDs
|
|||
|
+ Cultural diversity + Communication ethics, values, and styles
|
|||
|
+ National and international + Gender relations in cyberspace
|
|||
|
priorities
|
|||
|
+ Cooperative projects + Networking for indigenous peoples
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Workshops will be an hour and half in length. The proposal should
|
|||
|
include title, presenter, purpose of workshop, references, and plan.
|
|||
|
Workshops should substantially involve the audience and proposals in
|
|||
|
which some group product or action plan is created are preferred. As
|
|||
|
the proposals may be collected into a book, workshop proposals should
|
|||
|
be clear and informative to people who don't participate in the
|
|||
|
workshop. Proposals are due February 15, 1994 and acceptance and
|
|||
|
rejection notices will be sent by March 15, 1994. To discuss
|
|||
|
workshops or to submit proposals for workshops contact the program
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chair, Doug Schuler, doug.schuler@cpsr.org. Electronic submissions
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are encouraged but paper versions are also acceptable (send them to
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CPSR/Seattle - - - - DIAC '94 Workshop Submission, P.O. Box 85481,
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Seattle, WA 98145-1481).
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Sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsbility
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Potential co-sponsors are being sought. Please contact us if your
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organization would like to help with this event. For more information
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on co-sponsorship or on general issues, contact conference chair,
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Coralee Whitcomb, cwhitcomb@bentley.edu.
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------------------------------
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End of Computer Underground Digest #5.91
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************************************
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