Hoffman.es@Xerox.COM (07/10/90)
[Includes mention of computer crime laws and Congressional hearings....]
COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
PRESS RELEASE
CPSR TO UNDERTAKE EXPANDED CIVIL LIBERTIES PROGRAM
CPSR, a national computing organization, announced today that it would
receive a two-year grant in the amount of $275,000 for its Computing and
Civil Liberties Project. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, founded by
Mitchell Kapor and John Barlow, made the grant to expand ongoing CPSR
work on civil liberties protections for computer users.
At a press conference in Washington today, Mr. Kapor praised CPSR's
work. "CPSR plays an important role in the computer community. For the
last several years, it has sought to extend civil liberties protections
to new information technologies. Now we want to help CPSR expand that
work."
Marc Rotenberg, director of the CPSR Washington Office said, "We are
obviously very happy about the grant from the EFF. There is a lot of
work that needs to be done to ensure that our civil liberties
protections are not lost amidst policy confusion about the use of new
computer technologies."
CPSR said that it will host a series of policy round tables in
Washington, DC, during the next two years with lawmakers, computer users
including "hackers," the FBI, industry representatives, and members of
the computer security community. Mr. Rotenberg said that the purpose of
the meetings will be to "begin a dialogue about the new uses of
electronic media and the protection of the public interest."
CPSR also plans to develop policy papers on computers and civil
liberties, to oversee the Government's handling of computer crime
investigations, and to act as an information resource for organizations
and individuals interested in civil liberties issues.
The CPSR Computing and Civil Liberties project began in 1985 after
President Reagan attempted to restrict access to government computer
systems through the creation of new classification authority. In 1988
CPSR prepared a report on the proposed expansion of the FBI's computer
system, the National Crime Information Center. The report found serious
threats to privacy and civil liberties. Shortly after the report was
issued, the FBI announced that it would drop a proposed computer feature
to track the movements of people across the country who had not been
charged with any crime.
"We need to build bridges between the technical community and the policy
community," said Dr. Eric Roberts, CPSR President and a research
scientist at Digital Equipment Corporation in Palo Alto, California.
"There is simply too much misinformation about how computer networks
operate. This could produce terribly misguided public policy."
CPSR representatives have testified several times before Congressional
committees on matters involving civil liberties and computer policy.
Last year CPSR urged a House Committee to avoid poorly conceived
computer crime laws that could criminalize a wide range of computer
activity. "In the rush to criminalize the malicious acts of the few we
may discourage the beneficial acts of the many," warned CPSR. A House
subcommittee recently followed CPSR's recommendations on computer crime
amendments.
Dr. Ronni Rosenberg, an expert on the role of computer scientists and
public policy, praised the new initiative. She said, "It's clear that
there is an information gap that needs to be filled. This an important
opportunity for computer scientists to help fill that gap."
CPSR is a national membership organization of computer professionals,
based in Palo Alto, California. CPSR has over 2,000 members and 21
chapters across the country. In addition to the civil liberties
project, CPSR conducts research, advises policy makers and educates the
public about computers in the workplace, computer risk and reliability,
and international security.
For more information contact:
Marc Rotenberg
CPSR Washington Office
1025 Connecticut Avenue NW
Suite 1015
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 775-1588
Gary Chapman
CPSR National Office
P.O. Box 717
Palo Alto, CA 94302
(415) 322-3778