Human-Nets-Request%rutgers@brl-bmd.UUCP (Human-Nets-Request@rutgers) (09/30/83)
HUMAN-NETS Digest Friday, 30 Sep 1983 Volume 6 : Issue 61
Today's Topics:
Responce to Queries - "Network Revolution" (2 msgs) &
Arpanet as Database??? (2 msgs) &
NSA monitoring International Calls (3 msgs),
Computers and People - Trendiness and Worldnet (2 msgs)
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Date: 24 Sep 1983 0126-EDT
From: John S. Labovitz <HNIJ at MIT-OZ>
Subject: Network Revolution
`The Network Revolution' (subtitled `Confessions of a Computers
Scientist'), is by Jaques Vallee, published by And/or Press, Berkeley,
CA. It's mainly about the impact of computer networks on today's
society; how they do some good, but (mostly) bad. He relates it with
lots of anecdotes, and is very funny in some parts. I recommend it,
especially to Human-Nets readers. Sorry I can't say more, but I read
it a while ago, and cant remember anymore.
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Date: Mon 26 Sep 83 08:45:03-PDT
From: Bill Guns <Guns@SRI-KL.ARPA>
Subject: Re: HUMAN-NETS Digest V6 #60
THE NETWORK REVOLUTION is a book by Jacques Vallee, founder of
Infomedia Inc. Infomedia is a worldwide computer conferencing
network (using Tymnet) that is used by businesses and quasi-
government agencies for project management, and discussions.
Various publications have covered the rise of Infomedia-- it
has played an educating role in preaching the benefits of computer
mediated communications to corporations.
Vallee is a very interesting guy. He was at SRI some years ago
involved in some of the first work on the ARPANET and other
computer communicatons experiments. He has also studied UFO
phenomena (and is the reputed model for the French scientist
in Close Encounters.)
His book is a collection of anecdotes about his experiences with
computers and people. It is enlightening in that he has a tremendous
breadth of experience; it is not a polemic for any particular
viewpoint however. Perhaps the subtitle suggests the tenor of
the book: "Confessions of a Computer Scientist"
[Bill]
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From: vortex!lauren at RAND-UNIX
Date: Friday, 23-Sep-83 22:19:12-PDT
Subject: "Newsweek" and Arpanet
Since when do we believe everything that "Newsweek" prints? Their
comment about Arpanet was almost certainly a typical misquoting
of information obtained from one or several of the persons that they
interviewed for the article.
--Lauren--
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Date: 25 Sep 1983 18:44:38-EDT
From: csin!cjh@CCA-UNIX
Subject: telenet and databases
A chunk of Telenet usage is connections to information databases,
particularly Dialog (Lockheed) and Orbit (SDC); I would say that with
the increasing number of home computer users with modems the bulk of
Telenet use is related basic data retrieval of one sort or another,
with teleconferencing coming up fast from far behind. Does anyone have
numbers?
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Date: Sat 24 Sep 83 22:34:22-PDT
From: Tom Dietterich <DIETTERICH@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA>
Subject: NSA and International Communication
A former office mate of mine claimed that he once worked for the NSA
and that he had seen transcripts of routine phone conversations from
the Atlantic Cable. Now this guy was known to exaggerate, but I
believe him.
--Tom
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Date: 26 Sep 1983 13:41:32 EDT (Monday)
From: Roger Frye <frye@BBN-UNIX>
Subject: No Such Agency
About NSA recording of intercontinental messages: You used to be able
to read an article on this by typing "READ CAIB-NSA COMPLETE" on the
Conference Tree at 415-928-0641, but that number has been
disconnected. The entry was an article reprinted from Covert Action
Information Bulletin, Number 11, December 1980. You can get back
issues from CAIB, Box 50272, Washington, D.C. 20004.
The article referred to Watergate testimony by then NSA director, Lt.
Gen Lew Allen, that virtually all telephone and telegraph messages
entering and leaving the U.S. were being monitored. (Several people
have gotten records of their conversations through the Freedom of
Information Act and sued, which led to the Federal ruling REM
mentioned.) The article also examined the types of domestic
surveilance being conducted:
If the NSA is not intercepting domestic calls, it has wasted a lot
of effort developing the capability. As one example of this
capability, we have learned of the existence of a secret facility
in Suitland, Maryland, operated by the NSA, which is located
within a few hundred yards of a main AT&T microwave relay station
which handles many thousands of one-way communication circuits run
to Fort Meade. There is no question that the NSA has all the
equipment in place to listen in on domestic long distance calls to
and from Washington. (Copyright Covert Action Publications, Inc.)
Where the traffic is too large to monitor completely, NSA is said to
do key word picking to select conversations for further analysis. (If
I want my net mail to be picked up by the gateway at the NSA IMP,
"comrade", I could mention "white stuff" or "gay.") A simpler device
used by NSA is a pen register which keeps track of dialing attempts in
order to form a behavior profile of a suspect.
Have you ever wondered why Reagan warned that National Security
interests impinge on the AT&T antitrust case, and why the case was
settled so quickly? I believe that the National Security Agency has
secret deals with AT&T.
-Roger Frye
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Date: 26 Sep 1983 20:08-PDT
Subject: Telecommunications Security and Privacy.
From: the tty of Geoffrey S. Goodfellow
Reply-to: Geoff@SRI-CSL
On Monday, September 26th, I appeared before and presented
invited testimony at the U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Transportation, Aviation and Materials on the
subject of Telecommunications Security and Privacy.
Due to the activities of the Milwaukee 414s and the subsequent
hoopla that has been generated in the media, HACKING has been
getting a bad name. I therefore decided to address my testimony
to the TRUE nature of computer hackers and hacking (in an attempt
to put the entire situation in some type of perspective). I also
addressed what can and should be done to help abate the
'unsavory' hacking problem. And lastly, how low tech the current
hackings have been and what we might be seeing more of in the
future.
I'm told the hearings went out live over CNN -- there were at
least 16 video cameras that I could count and the rest of the
room was jammed to standing room only with reporters and other
media.
Individuals who presented testimony were: Neal Patrick (of the
414s); Jimmy McClary (Los Alamos Division leader for Security);
Donn Parker and myself (from SRI); and Steve Walker (formerly of
DARPA/Pentagon).
Those interested in what I had to say about hacking and such are
invited to FTP a copy of my prepared testimony from
[SRI-CSL]<GEOFF>HOUSE.DOC; There is also a .LPT version with
line-printer overstriking, should you want that. If you cannot
FTP a copy for whatever reason, I'll be able to send one by
netmail if you mail a request to Geoff@SRI-CSL.
Geoff
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Date: 25 Sep 1983 17:43:03-PDT
From: Robert P Cunningham <cunningh@Nosc>
Reply-to: cunningh@Nosc
Subject: RE: trendiness and worldnet.
Several years ago, I happened to read a science-fiction book by John
Brunner called "The shockwave rider" (Ballentine?) that featured an
extrapolation of some of the effects you mentioned in you Human-Nets
article. Also gives some (fictional) scenarios that describe some of
the possible abuses of a worldnet that seem pertinent to some of the
discussions in Human-Nets, plus the first fictional treatment of
deliberate network 'worms'. The book's probably a little dated now,
but you still might find it interesting.
Bob Cunningham <cunningh@nosc-cc>
University of Hawaii
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Date: 25 September 1983 21:12 EDT
From: Robert Elton Maas <REM @ MIT-MC>
Subject: trendiness and worldnet. --> network worms
Beware! Network worms are already in the Arpa/Internet. Watch out for
them. They are the self-replicating memes that Hofstadter mentionned a
few months ago. They work not by physically usurpting the software of
the computers, as the Alto worms did a few years ago, but rather by
usurpting the minds of the users. These worm-memes get into the minds
of users and are then passed on to other users, infecting the whole
user populace before long.
This message is a warning to watch out for these worm-memes. So that
others can be warned, please send copies of this messages to others
you know on the net. Eventually everybody will have a copy of this
message and they will all be protected from these worm-memes.
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End of HUMAN-NETS Digest
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