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) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------ 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] ------------------------------ 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-- ------------------------------ 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? ------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------ 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 ------------------------------ 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. ------------------------------ End of HUMAN-NETS Digest ************************