[comp.org.eff.talk] Mass. computer-crime bill

wex@dali.pws.bull.com (Buckaroo Banzai) (10/20/90)

The following is excerpted from a Boston Globe article printed in today's
(10/19) Business section:

   "The Dukakis administration, the state attorney general and [the
Massachusetts Computer Software Council] yesterday hammered out a tentative
compromise on a computer crime bill that could allow final legislation to be
signed into law by the end of the year.

   "Congress and other states have enacted statutes that make unauthorized
entry into computers a criminal offense.  But revisions to the Massachusetts
bill break new ground my more carefully balancing security needs against the
privacy and First Amendment rights of computer users [...]

   "''This explicitly recognizes that any time you make laws about computers
that affect their data, you should make sure you don't unintentionally
violate somebody else's privacy interests,'' said Mitch Kapor, [of ON -
later the article identifies him as an EFF founder].

   "Final terms of the compromise still ahve to be worked out [...] a bill
should be ready for Dukakis' signature by December [...].

   [the bill more carefully defines what's really a crime and makes
differentiation between serious offenses and more mild ones.]

   "Kapor said he backed the compromise because it ensures that the ''least
restrictive means'' will be used to stop ''hackers'' and others who break
into computers."

   [...]

I will provide more info about this bill as it comes to light.  I have no
other information right now, nor have I ever heard of the Massachusetts
Computer Software Council before now.

--
--Alan Wexelblat			phone: (508)294-7485
Bull Worldwide Information Systems	internet: wex@pws.bull.com
Never worry about theory as long as the machinery does what it's supposed to do.