851 lines
38 KiB
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851 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
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Computer underground Digest Sun Apr 13, 1997 Volume 9 : Issue 29
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ISSN 1004-042X
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Editor: Jim Thomas (cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu)
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News Editor: Gordon Meyer (gmeyer@sun.soci.niu.edu)
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Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
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Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
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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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Field Agent Extraordinaire: David Smith
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Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest
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CONTENTS, #9.29 (Sun, Apr 13, 1997)
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File 1--CYBERDAWG BARKING: Freedom...
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File 2--"Child Safety on the Internet" by Distefano
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File 3--SANS Network Security Digest (excerpts--Microsoft & Solaris)
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File 4--WebSite & Backstage Internet Studio
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File 5--Cokie Roberts on How Internet Is Ruining Rep Government
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File 6--Responses to Cokie Roberts' column on the Net and government
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File 7--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 13 Dec, 1996)
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CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION APPEARS IN
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THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.
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---------------------------------------------------------------------
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Date: Tue, 01 Apr 1997 07:38:54 -0600
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From: Jon Lebkowsky <cdawg@austin.sig.net>
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Subject: File 1--CYBERDAWG BARKING: Freedom...
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CYBERDAWG BARKING:
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Activism, Freedom, Apocalypso, and Zen
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One thing I can say about CFP 97: No Big News. The
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threat of censorship, the government's evident bad faith
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re. First Amendment and privacy issues, its bogus crypto
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policy and widespread cultural confusion about hot and
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cold running information age...CFP reiterated these, the
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usual complaints by the usual suspects, and focused
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additionally on virtual commerce and virtual community,
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but somehow forgot to address hot topics/potential threats
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like the potential for the death of Usenet in the wake of a
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successful Netpics prosecution, or the controversial
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Internet filtering by an increasing number of public
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libraries.
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The conference was heavy with journalists and attorneys,
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a few activists added for seasoning; the few hackers
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present had become computer professionals with
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corporate agendas, and nobody on or offstage seemed at
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all whacky: it was sane, boring, and quiet. Though
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Presidential aide Ira Magaziner did say the
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administration would back off on the issue of censorship
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if the CDA is defeated, but it's not clear he was speaking
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for his boss, who at the time was being hauled off to the
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hospital, his knee strained, perhaps by a confusion over
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which direction to jerk.
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For me the best part was after the conference: with old
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friend & bohemian prankster Bruce Grobman I headed
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for the hills, literally, to a verdant valley called Green
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Gulch in Marin County, one point of presence for the San
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Francisco Zen Center. We found the center silent but for
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a slight wind and subtle rain...it was Saturday and a big
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weekend sesshin (sitting quietly for hours on end)
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buffered sound but for a few drifting conversations,
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volunteers and visitors who weren't sitting, including
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Bruce and I with our rants, scams, and revisitations.
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We wandered the trail through the garden to Muir Beach
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and talked about our lives, loves, and commitment to
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family and friendship, and I was realizing that the best of
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CFP was in the relationships I'd been forming over the
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years, not so much working the hallways and the bars,
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though there is that, but sitting wherever and sharing not
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party lines and political agendas but personal visions,
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hopes and fears, quirks and rants, between-the-lines, the
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stuff of community.
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And as I walked the beach, watching the crashing waves
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and the snowy white birds as they skimmed the ether,
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watching lovers embrace and children cavort and a group
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of neon punks klutz through an ad hoc stream in the
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sand, as I thought about my life, my wife and children
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and grandchildren who are at various odd angles to this
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virtual world I inhabit, I realized that this virtual world
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we are building in cyberspace, with our passionate
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commitment to freedom of information and open
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communication, our growing sense of individual
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empowerment and collective disavowal of violence, hate,
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and oppression; is an infrastructure which, though it
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exists in virtual space, is a foundation for evolutionary
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optimism everywhere. That is, if we can survive the
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`good intentions' of our leaders..
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Fearing an unregulated free space, politicians portray the
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Internet as a threat to our children, who will find
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pornography online, they say, and recipes for building
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bombs. The implication: we will lose control of our
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world as children learn to Take Liberties.
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***
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So now it's Easter morning, and since I wrote the few
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paragraphs above the Supremes have heard CDA
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arguments (their questions at the time considered by
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many a cause for optimism), the library filtering
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controversy is still hotter than a bygod, recently we had a
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full lunar eclipes on one side of the sky while Hale-Bopp
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was cruising the other, and around the same time 39
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bodies wearing pungent odor and clean shoes were found
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at Rancho Santa Fe..
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The media hypesters were ready for this cult suicide: they
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couldn't quite make the Internet connection to Waco or
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Timothy McVeigh or Richard Jewell, but there was a
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clear link to Heaven's Gate: the cult members designed
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web pages every day as their source of income, they
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posted to usenet, they published their whacky Hale-Bopp
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ideology at a web site which has become a kind of digital
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archeological ruin for net.anthropologists to wade
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through. So, finally, *clear indication* of Internet
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danger: suicidal UFO cults live here, spreading their
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dangerous memes far and wide, recruiting from among
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the thousands of innocent children online. Never mind
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that none of the cult members were children, never mind
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that there's no evidence of successful online recruitment,
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never mind that there were just 39 cult members, never
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mind that they seemed happy as clams (ARS jammers
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will catch, and hopefully pardon, the pun).they clearly
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represent the danger posed by . . .
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. . . FREEDOM. The Internet is free-flowing
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information, and the "electronic frontier" metaphor was
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prophetic of a time when "settlers" would move in and
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seek regulation. However I never would've predicted the
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current level of net hysteria, fed as it is by power-
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grubbing politicians and security-grubbing status-quo
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`average citizens' and `concerned parents.' I have
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sympathy for the latter, those whose complicated
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consumer-manic lives, already out of control, are
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threatened by the many strange attractors operative in a
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chaotic free space. But my sympathy doesn't extent to
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legislation, and it doesn't extend to those who would use
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average-joe fear and loathing as justification for a
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legislated information anesthetic. No pain, no gain:
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numbness is so much like death.
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Months ago, before the CDA was attached to the
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Telecommunications Act and around the time Mike
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Godwin was slicing and dicing Marty Rimm's
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disinformation report on Internet porn, I was writing a
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piece, never finished, called "Bombs and Bondage." In it
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I asked this question: if we could move all the supposedly
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objectionable stuff (e.g. bomb recipes and bondage
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photos) off the public spaces of the net, would the call for
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net.regulation be dropped?
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The answer is clear to me now, a resounding no: the calls
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for regulation will come independent of any single,
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particular issue. Freedom is never going to be easy, and
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in fact it shouldn't be: consider that my freedom ends
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where your freedom begins, and there are 250 million of
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us in the U.S. alone, billions on the planet, so we should
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expect sometimes tough negotiations. But we should
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negotiate in the interest of the least restrictive,
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understanding that unnecessary constraints on freedom,
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especially in a complex cultural environment, imprison
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the human spirit. During the cold war era our leaders
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pointed to the stultifying effects of broad restriction and
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oppression on the Soviet Union, China, and other
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countries with totalitarian regimes. Are we now to adopt
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broad restrictions of our own?
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To be free is not to be totally unconstrained, but to be
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without undue constraint. The trick is in determining
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how much constraint is "due" vs. undue. Libertarians
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talk about the desirability of noncoercive structures, e.g.
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communities in which force is never necessary to compel
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right action. I'm not completely sure how to create such
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an environment, but it's a laudable goal. How much
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"coercive" regulation results from fear rather than from
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any real need to protect?
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jonl 3/30/97
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------------------------------
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Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 14:11:49 EST
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From: "Rob Slade, doting grandpa of Ryan & Trevor"
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Subject: File 2--"Child Safety on the Internet" by Distefano
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BKCHSFIN.RVW 961128
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"Child Safety on the Internet", Vince Distefano, 1997, 0-13-569468-X,
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U$34.95/C$48.93
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%A Vince Distefano
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%C One Lake St., Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458
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%D 1997
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%G 0-13-569468-X
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%I Prentice Hall
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%O U$34.95/C$48.93 +1-201-236-7139 fax: 201-236-7131 beth_hespe@prenhall.com
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%P 296
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%S Classroom Connect
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%T "Child Safety on the Internet"
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This volume contains a helpful and generally realistic set of
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resources. It talks primarily about the dangers, but does note
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that the risks are not as bad as some of the hype. The book does,
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for once, look at other "dangers" besides pornography, and has a
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reasonable chapter on netiquette. Online service protection
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options, content rating systems, and protective/support groups are
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discussed. In addition, there are suggestions and advice for
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"after the fact" detecting and policing.
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There are some gaps in the book. The fact that there are
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weaknesses, inaccuracies and misleading statements in the (now
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infamous) Rimm study/Time special is dismissed as "not important".
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The subtle censorship of Internet filter software is not
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discussed. (One of the filter programs on the accompanying CD-ROM
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blocks non-pornography or violence related terms which are germane
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only to discussions of certain political leanings. Filter
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developers will not even confirm the dictionary of words used,
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with some slight justification.) Most filter packages do not
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allow parents to tune or manage the terms to be included or
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excluded.
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copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996 BKCHSFIN.RVW 961128
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------------------------------
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Date: Sun, 6 Apr 1997 01:55:50 -0500 (EST)
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From: SANS'96 Conference Office <sans@clark.net>
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Subject: File 3--SANS Network Security Digest (excerpts--Microsoft & Solaris)
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((MODERATORS' NOTE: Here are a few excerpts from a new E-pub, "SANS
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Network Security Digest." The first few issues have been crammed
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with helpful news and notes for newbies and pros alike. It's free
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until the end of April, but if recent issues are an indication of
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what's to come, it will be worth paying for)).
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Vol. 1, No. 3 |
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March 20, 1997 |
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Copyright, 1997. Please don't forward or copy without permission.
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You'll find free subscription information after item 12.
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Subscribe before 4/30/97.
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-------------------------------------------------------
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1) THREE PROBLEMS WITH MICROSOFT'S INTERNET EXPLORER
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Problems have been reported recently relating to security in version
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3.0x of Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser. They raise
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concerns about Explorer's vulnerability to remote execution of
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programs - especially, but not exclusively, ActiveX programs. The
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first reported bug is that IE will execute files appearing on web
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pages with extensions of ".LNK" and ".URL". A good discussion of this
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bug can be found at:
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<http://www.cybersnot.com/iebug.html>
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The second bug involves Version 3.0 users and the use of embedded
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icons on web pages, that when selected will run the associated
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program without warning. A discussion of this bug is available at:
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<http://dec.dorm.umd.edu/index.htm>
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The third bug, found in version 3.01A, allows IE to download and
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execute ".isp" script files. This vulnerability is similar to the
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first one regarding the ".LNK" and ".URL" files. A discussion of this
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bug is available at:
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<http://web.mit.edu/crioux/www/ie/index.html>
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Microsoft has published patches and a FAQ regarding these
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vulnerabilities. For more information, see:
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<http://www.microsoft.com/ie/security/update.htm>
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------------------------------------------------------------
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2) SOLARIS 2.x PASSWD BUFFER OVERRUN VULNERABILITY
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A buffer overflow has claimed another victim. A vulnerability has been
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discovered in the passwd program under Solaris 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5. Under
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2.5 the yppasswd and nispasswd program are hard links to passwd. The
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vulnerability results from insufficient bounds checking on the input
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arguments. The end result is that a malicious user could force the
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passwd program to execute arbitrary commands.
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Unfortunately no vendor patch available at this time. Members of the
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AUSCERT team have written a wrapper program that can be used as a
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workaround until a patch is available from Sun. The source for the
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wrapper is available at:
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<ftp://ftp.auscert.org.au/pub/auscert/tools/overflow_wrapper.c>
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Precompiled binaries are available at:
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<ftp://ftp.auscert.org.au/pub/auscert/tools/passwd_wrapper.tar.Z>
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The AUSCERT Advisory, first posted on 2/26/97, is available on:
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<ftp://ftp.auscert.org.au/pub/auscert/advisory/\
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AA-97.09.Solaris.passwd.buffer.overrun.vul>
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------------------------------------------------------------
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8) THE NAUGHTYROBOT HOAX REPORT
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Hoaxes continue to be a hot topic on the Internet. If you have
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received an email message with a subject of "security breached by
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NaughtyRobot", then you have experienced the NaughtyRobot Hoax first
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hand. The mail headers of the NaughtyRobot message are forged so they
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appear to originate from the local web server. According to CERT and
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CIAC, so far there have been no indications of problems created by
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these email messages. For more information, see the CIAC report at
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<http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html#naughty>
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----------------------------------------------------------
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9) NEW MICROSOFT WORD VIRUS - SHAREFUN.A
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McAfee has discovered a new Microsoft Word Macro Virus called
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ShareFun.A. This Virus is unique. It is the first macro virus to
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invoke MSMail to distribute itself. The macro virus will send
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messages to three people in your address book, along with a copy of
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the file that is infected.
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McAfee is providing a current beta scan tool to detect and clean the
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virus. More information can be found at:
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<http://www.mcafee.com/support/techdocs/vinfo/v3333.html>
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-----------------------------------------------------------
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To subscribe, send email to sans@clark.net.
|
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In the Subject--SANS Network Security Digest,
|
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In the Body: name, title, organization, preferred email address, and, if
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you also want an updated network security roadmap wall poster, your
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surface mailing address.
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After April 30, subscriptions are $80 per year. Send check to SANS
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Network Security Digest, 4610 Tournay Road, Bethesda, MD 20816. The
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Digest is copyrighted and may not be retransmitted or distributed or
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copied without written permission.
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------------------------------
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Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 18:17:14 -0800
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From: Ellen Elias <elias@ora.com>
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To: cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu
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Subject: File 4--WebSite & Backstage Internet Studio
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For Immediate Release
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March 12, 1997
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Further Information
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Contact Ellen Elias
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(707)829-0515 ext. 322
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elias@ora.com
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http://software.ora.com/
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WEBSITE 1.1 INCLUDED WITH MACROMEDIA BACKSTAGE INTERNET STUDIO
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O'Reilly's Technology Increases Database Capabilities for Web Sites
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Sebastopol, CA--O'Reilly & Associates, a leading Internet software
|
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developer and book publisher, announced today that its award-winning
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WebSite 1.1(TM) software is included in Macromedia's Backstage Internet
|
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Studio, which started shipping March 7. This combination provides
|
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extensive database capabilities to commercial web sites, including
|
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Internet, intranet, and extranet (business-to-business) sites.
|
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|
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O'Reilly's award-winning WebSite 1.1, heralded for its features, ease
|
|
of use and documentation, is included in Backstage(TM) Internet
|
|
Studio(TM) 2 for Windows 95 and NT. Backstage Internet Studio offers a
|
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complete visual solution for developing database-driven web sites and
|
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applications. The software eliminates the need for programming usually
|
|
required to develop such sophisticated Web-based applications as
|
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customer service sites and electronic commerce solutions.
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|
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WebSite and Backstage Internet Studio complement each other with their
|
|
state-of-the-art tools, broadening the power of the webmaster while
|
|
providing products that save hours of time. "We haven't just added
|
|
O'Reilly's WebSite to the product, we've integrated it," said Steven
|
|
Shannon, senior product manager for Backstage at Macromedia. "Now,
|
|
Backstage is truly a complete Web site solution."
|
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|
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Kimberly Simoni, product manager for WebSite, added, "Macromedia is a
|
|
leading developer for the Web, multimedia and graphics, so it's a
|
|
natural partner for O'Reilly, one of the pioneers of the Internet."
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|
|
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O'Reilly's WebSite, winner of numerous awards including the Dvorak
|
|
Award for Outstanding Server Software and Windows NT Magazine Editor's
|
|
Choice, provides a full suite of web publishing and management
|
|
components. A powerful 32-bit server; WebView(TM), the intuitive and
|
|
graphical web management tool; WebIndex(TM) and WebFind(TM), which work
|
|
together to provide full-text search capability; MapThis(TM), a tool
|
|
for creating clickable image maps--these are just some of the tools
|
|
which comprise WebSite 1.1. Extensive technical information about
|
|
WebSite 1.1 and WebSite Professional, O'Reilly's high-security server,
|
|
is also available online (http://software.ora.com/).
|
|
|
|
Backstage Internet Studio is available in two editions, both of which
|
|
include WebSite 1.1. The Desktop Edition works with desktop-based
|
|
databases, including Microsoft Access, Excel, FoxPro, dBase and
|
|
Paradox, to create database-driven web sites for small offices or
|
|
workgroups within larger companies. The Enterprise Edition works with
|
|
client-server databases to handle large scale enterprise applications.
|
|
Both versions of Backstage Internet Studio include web page templates,
|
|
clip art, and Macromedia's xRes SE, a powerful hi-res image editor
|
|
optimized for developing and delivering web-based graphics.
|
|
|
|
Backstage Internet Studio 2's Desktop Edition, including WebSite 1.1,
|
|
has a suggested list price of $299 US, with an upgrade price of $99
|
|
available to registered owners of Backstage 1. The Enterprise edition
|
|
has a suggested list price of $999, with a $499 upgrade price.
|
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|
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ABOUT O'REILLY & ASSOCIATES
|
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O'Reilly & Associates is recognized worldwide for its definitive books
|
|
on the Internet and UNIX, and for its development of online content and
|
|
software. O'Reilly developed the Global Network Navigator (GNN), a
|
|
pioneering web-based publication which it sold to America Online in
|
|
June, 1995. In addition to WebSite 1.1, O'Reilly's software products
|
|
include WebSite Professional, the second generation server product for
|
|
Windows 95 and Windows NT; WebBoard, a Web-based multi-threaded
|
|
conferencing system; PolyForm, a web authoring tool for forms, and
|
|
Statisphere, a graphical web traffic analyzer (to be released Spring,
|
|
1997).
|
|
|
|
WebSite Professional, WebSite, WebBoard, PolyForm, and Statisphere are
|
|
trademarks of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. All other names are
|
|
registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.
|
|
|
|
------------------------------
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|
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Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 15:03:24 -0700 (PDT)
|
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From: baby-X <baby-x@slowdog.com>
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Subject: File 5--Cokie Roberts on How Internet Is Ruining Rep Government
|
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|
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Source - Fight-Censorship <fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu>
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I always thought Cokie Roberts was a dolt anyway; now I only have further
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proof.
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|
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
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From--James Love <love@tap.org>
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Date--Fri, 11 Apr 1997 17:48:27 -0400 (EDT)
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This is a real syndicated column by Cokie Roberts. It is not a spoof.
|
|
Cokie interviewed me about how the Internet is changing the relationship
|
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between citizens and government agencies, after she read about the FTC's
|
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decision to take email comments on the Staples merger. She then wrote
|
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this astonishing column with her husband, Steven Roberts. At the end of
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Cokie's column is a letter to the editor sent by Susan Ashdown, a reader
|
|
of the Salt Lake Tribune, which is one of newspapers which ran the column.
|
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Since Susan brought this to my attention, I am including her letter.
|
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Cokie and Steven Roberts column, and Susan's letter to the editor, are
|
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redistributed with permission. Jamie Love (love@tap.org, 202.387.8030
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http://www.cptech.org
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Salt Lake Tribune, April 5, 1997, Page A-11
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Internet Could Become a Threat To Representative Government
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Cokie Roberts and Steven Roberts
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United Features
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|
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Cyber seduction, cult by computer, kids caught in an indecent web! The
|
|
headlines have been scary of late as we learn more about the dangers of
|
|
the brave new world of the Internet.
|
|
|
|
To be sure, the experts keep assuring us that the World Wide Web does more
|
|
good than harm-that it can help young people find facts, police officers
|
|
hunt down clues, and citizens communicate with their government.
|
|
|
|
"If you're on-line, you're inside the Beltway," in the opinion of Graeme
|
|
Browning, author of the book Electronic Democracy, which argues that the
|
|
Internet is making individuals more politically powerful. Sounds good,
|
|
but is it?
|
|
|
|
For many parents, the idea of yet another influence in their children's
|
|
lives over which they have no control is threatening. The horrible
|
|
thought that, in the privacy of your own home, your child could be the
|
|
target of some sick predator was frightening enough. Now, since reading
|
|
the news recently, the fear of recruitment to some kooky cult must be
|
|
added to the list of computer concerns.
|
|
|
|
Responding to those worries, Congress passed the Computer Decency Act,
|
|
aimed at blocking pornography on the Internet. The law was immediately
|
|
challenged as an unconstitutional abridgement of free speech, and last
|
|
month the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the case. In their
|
|
questions the justices revealed the same wide-eyed wonder we feel when
|
|
hearing about the latest form of communication. What is this thing
|
|
anyway? How does it work and what can it do?
|
|
|
|
One thing it clearly can do is bring citizens more into the
|
|
decision-making processes of government. That came home to us recently
|
|
when we heard that the Federal Trade Commission was accepting electronic
|
|
mail on the question of whether Office Depot stores should be allowed to
|
|
merge with Staples. The FTC has so far received thousands of comments and
|
|
a spokeswoman says that, although the merger decision won't be based on
|
|
what the agency hears from the public, she thinks the e-mail is a good
|
|
idea. The FTC decided to do it, she admitted, because of pressure from
|
|
the Consumer Project on Technology.
|
|
|
|
"The Internet is the best thing in my lifetime for grassroots organizing,"
|
|
exults the Project's director, Jamie Love. He's managed to use the system
|
|
to influence various government agencies, and to educate the public. Love
|
|
argues that this type of organization and communication cuts through the
|
|
special interest politics that he believes rules Washington. "I think
|
|
there's a general sense that people who can hire a guy and game the system
|
|
have a leg up," says Love.
|
|
|
|
Somewhere between 250,000 to 350,000 people check into the site dealing
|
|
with congressional activities every day. And then many of these people
|
|
get in touch with their representatives, by e-mail, of course.
|
|
|
|
They also get in touch with each other on public policy issues. According
|
|
to Love, it's like an electronic town meeting. That analogy makes our
|
|
blood run cold. Remember, that was Ross Perot's big idea. Let's just all
|
|
get together, via computer, and let the politicians know what we want, so
|
|
then they will do it! No more pandering to the big contributors, no more
|
|
deals between members, just the voice of the people will be heard!
|
|
|
|
We hear that and shudder. To us it sounds like no more deliberation, no
|
|
more consideration of an issue over a long period of time, no more
|
|
balancing of regional and ethnic interests, no more protection of minority
|
|
views.
|
|
|
|
The Founders were clear in their advocacy of representative democracy as
|
|
opposed to direct democracy. In The Federalist, James Madison asserted
|
|
that "the public voice pronounced by the representatives of the people
|
|
will be more consonant to the public good than if announced by the people
|
|
themselves convened for that purpose."
|
|
|
|
But representative government is under attack. "We've been electing
|
|
people for years and never been in worse shape and felt more
|
|
disconnected," says Barbara Vincent of the National Referendum Movement.
|
|
Her organization wants to put initiatives and referenda on the ballots of
|
|
every state so that the people can decide "the really important issues"
|
|
while Congress can handle "everyday affairs." And Ms. Vincent has public
|
|
opinion on her side. In a bipartisan poll, fully three-quarters of the
|
|
people said they favored putting national issues on ballots across the
|
|
country.
|
|
|
|
Computers could make that possible. And, if we're not careful, they
|
|
might. Jamie Love is right that people think the game is fixed, and
|
|
Barbara Vincent is right that the voters feel disconnected. The best
|
|
thing the lawmakers can do to fix that is to call a halt to the money
|
|
chase, to show constituents that they count. If that doesn't happen,
|
|
congress could eventually find its very existence threatened, thanks to
|
|
the Internet. And that would make the current debate over pornography
|
|
seem like small potatoes.
|
|
|
|
-------------------
|
|
|
|
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 1997 14:31:21 -0600
|
|
From: Sue Ashdown <zero@xmission.com>
|
|
|
|
|
|
To the Editors of the Salt Lake Tribune & United Features:
|
|
|
|
Now I've heard everything. The Internet is nothing but a
|
|
cyber-sewer, full of smut, cults, and now an even greater danger: easy
|
|
access to government officials. Cokie Roberts and her husband say their
|
|
"blood runs cold" at the idea of citizens emailing their opinions directly
|
|
to the Federal Government instead of channeling them through their
|
|
"representatives". They argue that it would mean the end of reasoned
|
|
consideration of a variety of views, and worse, it might bring us closer
|
|
to direct instead of representative democracy - not what the Founding
|
|
Fathers intended. (The Founders weren't too keen on emancipation either,
|
|
but never mind.)
|
|
|
|
Talk about the end of reason. I fail to see how the direct
|
|
expression of public opinion logically leads to the destruction of careful
|
|
deliberation. Perot wasn't my choice for President, but the mere fact
|
|
that "electronic town meetings" were his "big idea" does not automatically
|
|
make them meritless.
|
|
|
|
Personally my blood runs cold when I think of the representative
|
|
democracy Cokie has in mind. Her brother, Tommy Boggs, of the Washington
|
|
law firm Patton, Boggs & Blow made quite a name for himself as a lobbyist
|
|
arguing strenuously on behalf of erstwhile Guatemalan dictators and death
|
|
squad financiers in the 1980's and early 1990's. If as the Roberts claim,
|
|
a halt to the money chase is a far better solution to voter discontent
|
|
than the airing of public opinion through the Internet, then presumably
|
|
this means that Tommy's firm will find better uses for its generous cash
|
|
donations to candidates across the political spectrum. I can understand
|
|
Cokie standing up for her brother's interests - I'd do the same for mine,
|
|
who's done reasonably well as an Internet Service Provider, but at least
|
|
I'd reveal my motives.
|
|
|
|
Sincerely,
|
|
|
|
Sue Ashdown
|
|
Salt Lake City, Utah
|
|
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Date: Sun, 13 Apr 1997 12:50:29 -0700 (PDT)
|
|
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
|
|
Subject: File 6--Responses to Cokie Roberts' column on the Net and government
|
|
|
|
Source - fight-censorship@vorlon.mit.edu
|
|
|
|
[Hayek has it right -- we shouldn't fetishize democracy. Democracy is at
|
|
best a means to a freer society, not a guarantee of one. Under the weight
|
|
of a homogenous majority, a democracy can be more oppressive than a benign
|
|
dictatorship. Instead, we should pursue liberty as a goal. -Declan]
|
|
|
|
*******************
|
|
|
|
Date--Fri, 11 Apr 97 20:08:00 DST
|
|
From--"Halpert, James - DC" <jhalpert@pipermar.com>
|
|
|
|
This column is remarkably unfair -- at its core an elaborate bait and
|
|
switch. Petitioning the government over the Net has nothing to do with
|
|
cyber-stalking or cyberporn -- and is a considerable leap away from
|
|
electronic town hall referenda.
|
|
|
|
Whatever the merits of instant electronic referenda, giving the public an
|
|
opportunity to comment on federal agency decisions is what agency
|
|
rulemaking is supposed to be all about -- only until recently, such
|
|
organizing efforts have required significant resources. The Net has
|
|
helped to change that.
|
|
|
|
The logical extension of the Roberts' position is to call for
|
|
congressional offices to disconnect their telephones so that mass call-in
|
|
campaigns by the Christian Coalition, AARP and other well-funded, highly
|
|
disciplined grassroots groups are not heard. Are these troops more
|
|
reflective than Net users. Hardly (remember the CDA juggernaut).
|
|
|
|
But the Roberts wouldn't dream of closing the doors of power to that sort
|
|
of campaign. They attack the Net because it is new, scary to them and
|
|
some of their readers, and therefore an easier target.
|
|
|
|
-- Jim Halpert
|
|
|
|
*******************
|
|
|
|
Date--Sat, 12 Apr 1997 01:47:03 -0400
|
|
From--Theodore Baar <tedbar@omegacom.com>
|
|
To--"'declan@well.com'" <declan@well.com>
|
|
|
|
Declan - regardings Roberts whining diatribe.......
|
|
|
|
I have an interesting point you might consider. The philosophical keystone
|
|
of the Protestant Reformation rested on the concept that man deals
|
|
directly with God and did not require a priest to stand between or mediate
|
|
for him.
|
|
|
|
Likewise we now have an alledgedly "representative" government that, at
|
|
least according to Ms. Roberts, stands between us and governance to
|
|
protect us from ourselves and teach us our "place". No doubt she includes
|
|
herself in this "protector" class as a jo urnalist to help we poor
|
|
peasants "understand" our appropriate relationship to governance.
|
|
|
|
I suggest she brush up on democracy real soon or start reading books on
|
|
Oliver Cromwell. Her points on the dangers of direct democracy are of
|
|
course true with one small caveat, direct involvment is the last hope we
|
|
have because their is no representative government.
|
|
|
|
I have no representation in Washington. For 30 adult years I've watched
|
|
the democratic led permanent government, including their journalistic
|
|
water carriers, represent everyone but the people who really make this
|
|
country work. Government by special inetre st and whining is not
|
|
representative government, don't kid yourself.
|
|
|
|
Now the, so to speak, first representative is Bill Clinton. I am quite
|
|
certain he represents the the embodiment of the permanent government and
|
|
every belief Cokie & her ilk hold privately dear, otherwise why would the
|
|
press be so supportive. Based on that
|
|
I dare say that representative government has failed miserably.
|
|
|
|
If representative government is foiled by nonsense like the last two years
|
|
of democratic party nonsense and direct government is then blocked (all in
|
|
our best interests of course) it will then mark the end of our democracy.
|
|
The remaining moderates (check out the blue dog democrats and Ben Campbell
|
|
of Colorado) will be forced to extremes to seek redress, thus my reference
|
|
to Cromwell.
|
|
|
|
What Ms. Roberts, like so many, does not understand is that Gingrich and
|
|
his people are not the rabid attack dogs of facism they alledge but in
|
|
fact the last reasonable men. If things get ugly I suspect none of us will
|
|
like who leads the next wave.
|
|
|
|
Ted Baar
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
http://www.omegacom.com
|
|
Omegacom, Inc. Providence, RI 02906
|
|
Boston, Providence (RI), Saco (ME) and St. Croix (USVI)
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
******************
|
|
|
|
Date--Sat, 12 Apr 1997 10:18:25 -0700 (PDT)
|
|
From--Anthony Jankowski <anjank@iquest.net>
|
|
To--declan@well.com
|
|
|
|
thanks for sharing the Cokie and Mr. Cokie column! the whole thing is
|
|
laughable, and I'm sending a note to her via All Things Considered...
|
|
|
|
Cokie and her ilk, i.e. the other talking head pundits, are deathly afraid
|
|
of the Net, NOT because it's "anti" democratic, but for the very reason that
|
|
IT IS DEMOCRATIC AND MUCH MORE REPRESENTATIVE than those that allegedly
|
|
represent us!
|
|
|
|
I don't know what Internet she's using, but from my travels, I've seen
|
|
everyone represented on the Net quite well, straight, queer, liberal, con-
|
|
servative, radical, anarchist, skin-heads, nazi-lovers, black, white, rich,
|
|
poor, etc.. the Forum is wide open, the very opposite of what goes on in
|
|
the "halls of Congress".
|
|
|
|
Her and hubby open the column with the standard scare tactic that phoney-
|
|
baloney moralists use-- the "kids get porn on the Net" ploy... their
|
|
implication that "parents have no control over what their kids are seeing" is
|
|
a flat out LIE. there are now dozens of software packages available to
|
|
parents that want to screen what their kids are seeing.
|
|
|
|
but then they move right into their real concern--- politics, and their
|
|
ability to make money off of politics. They wax eloquently about what the
|
|
Founding Fathers wanted in terms of representative government. Please, let's
|
|
get REAL, here! Did the Founders advocate career politicians? Did the Founders
|
|
advocate a system where large corporations make campaign contributions, and
|
|
get tax breaks, tax subsidies (corporate welfare) from the government in
|
|
return? While the Roberts' comment on stopping the "money chase", we ALL
|
|
KNOW very well
|
|
that is NOT going to happen under the status quo!
|
|
|
|
The People have spoken. As author and film maker Michael Moore (Downsize This)
|
|
pointed out, "less than 50% of the eligible voters voting is an act of civil
|
|
disobediance!" The People NO LONGER BELIEVE IN THE SYSTEM for good reason.
|
|
The average person's needs are NOT being met by the current system, and under
|
|
the Constitution it is our complete right to creat a new system, in fact, it is
|
|
our civic duty to do so.
|
|
|
|
Now we have a tool at hand which allows for every voice to be heard, the Net.
|
|
Computers and the Internet were not even conceivable to the Founding Fathers,
|
|
so naturally it made more sense to advocate a "representative" speaking
|
|
collectively for the People. But given the proven capabilities of the Net,
|
|
would they still feel that way, or would they conceive a different system?
|
|
|
|
I agree totally with Ms. Vincent. Important issues should, MUST be put on
|
|
national referendums. ONLY THEN will everyone have their input taken seriously.
|
|
The silly notion that "all we have to do is fix the current system and all
|
|
will be well" is just that: SILLY and laughable. The problems we have now
|
|
have been building for the last 100 years! Our elected representatives (some
|
|
of them in office for almost that long) have had every oppportunity to fix
|
|
the system, and show that it is democratic. THEY HAVE MISERABLY FAILED!!!!!
|
|
|
|
It's time for the corruption to END, plain and simple. The People are
|
|
finally wising up, and the Net can be thanked for that. Ms. Roberts' will soon
|
|
be out of a job, and that's what really concerns her... with many more Voices
|
|
available on the Net, we no longer need the likes of Ms. Roberts, with her
|
|
self-serving agenda. Like the dinosaurs, there kind is about to become extinct.
|
|
|
|
A centralized, representative system will always be corruptible by monied
|
|
interests. However, a de-centralized system, with only 85% participation, using
|
|
the Net as a vote-collecting tool, would totally shift the power back to where
|
|
it needs to be: The Average Citizen. The lobbyists cannot BRIBE US ALL-- it
|
|
wouldn't be "cost effective".
|
|
|
|
Anthony Jankowski
|
|
|
|
"A conservative government is a hypocrisy." Benjamin Disraeli, former Prime
|
|
Minister of England... will the U.S. ever have a Jewish president? a woman?
|
|
a Black? an Oriental?
|
|
Sudden Impact Graphics
|
|
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6645
|
|
|
|
|
|
"Who cares for the Heart?" Shri P. Rajagoplachari
|
|
|
|
------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Date: Thu, 15 Dec 1996 22:51:01 CST
|
|
From: CuD Moderators <cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu>
|
|
Subject: File 7--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 13 Dec, 1996)
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------------------------------
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End of Computer Underground Digest #9.29
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************************************
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