[comp.org.eff.talk] Is comp.org.eff.talk a real newsgroup?

jms@tardis.Tymnet.COM (Joe Smith) (08/28/90)

I found this in "junk".  Is this an offical news group?

In article <36562@ut-emx.UUCP> petrilli@walt.cc.utexas.edu (Chris Petrilli) writes:
>I have not seen any post concerning what this group is about, but I may
>have missed, our usenet news handler missing things sometimes.
>
>Perhaps a copy of the announcement would help explain what the
>Electronic Frountier Foundation is about...
>
: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               July 10, 1990
:  
: NEW FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED TO ENCOURAGE COMPUTER-BASED COMMUNICATIONS
: POLICIES
:  
: Contact: Cathy Cook (415) 759-5578
:  
:  Washington, D.C., July 10, 1990 -- Mitchell D. Kapor, founder of
: Lotus Development Corporation and ON Technology, today announced that
: he, along with colleague John Perry Barlow, has established a
: foundation to address social and legal issues arising from the impact
: on society of the increasingly pervasive use of computers as a means
: of communication and information distribution.  The Electronic
: Frontier Foundation (EFF) will support and engage in public education
: on current and future developments in computer-based and
: telecommunications media.  In addition, it will support litigation in
: the public interest to preserve, protect and extend First Amendment
: rights within the realm of computing and telecommunications
: technology.
:  
: Initial funding for the Foundation comes from private contributions by
: Kapor and Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer, Inc.  The
: Foundation expects to actively raise contributions from a wide
: constituency.
:  
: As an initial step to foster public education on these issues, the
: Foundation today awarded a grant to the Palo Alto, California-based
: public advocacy group Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
: (CPSR).  The grant will be used by CPSR to expand the scope of its
: on-going Computing and Civil Liberties Project (see attached).
:  
: Because its mission is to not only increase public awareness about
: civil liberties issues arising in the area of computer-based
: communications, but also to support litigation in the public interest,
: the  Foundation has recently intervened on behalf of two legal cases.
:  
: The first case concerns Steve Jackson, an Austin-based game
: manufacturer who was the target of the Secret Service's Operation Sun
: Devil.  The EFF has pressed for a full disclosure by the government
: regarding the seizure of his company's computer equipment.  In the
: second action, the Foundation intends to seek amicus curiae  (friend
: of the court) status in the government's case against Craig Neidorf, a
: 20-year-old University of Missouri student who is the editor of the
: electronic newsletter Phrack World News (see attached).
:  
: "It is becoming increasingly obvious that the rate of technology
: advancement in communications is far outpacing the establishment of
: appropriate cultural, legal and political frameworks to handle the
: issues that are arising," said Kapor. "And the Steve Jackson and
: Neidorf cases dramatically point to the timeliness of the Foundation's
: mission. We intend to be instrumental in helping shape a new framework
: that embraces these powerful new technologies for the public good."
:  
: The use of new digital media -- in the form of on-line information and
: interactive conferencing services, computer networks and electronic
: bulletin boards -- is becoming widespread in businesses and homes.
: However, the electronic society created by these new forms of digital
: communications does not fit neatly into existing, conventional legal
: and social structures.
:  
: The question of how electronic communications should be accorded the
: same political freedoms as newspapers, books, journals and other modes
: of discourse is currently the subject of discussion among this
: country's lawmakers and members of the computer industry.  The EFF
: will take an active role in these discussions through its continued
: funding of various educational projects and forums.
:  
: An important facet of the Foundation's mission is to help both the
: public and policy-makers see and understand the opportunities as well
: as the challenges posed by developments in computing and
: telecommunications. Also, the EFF will encourage and support the
: development of new software to enable non-technical users to more
: easily use their computers to access the growing number of digital
: communications services available.
:  
: The Foundation is located in Cambridge, Mass.  Requests for
: information should be sent to Electronic Frontier Foundation, One
: Cambridge Center, Suite 300, Cambridge, MA 02142, 617/577-1385, fax
: 617/225-2347; or it can be reached at the Internet mail address
: eff@well.sf.ca.us.
: 
: I hope that Mitch, Steve and John don't mind me posting this... I though
: people might be interested, if they don't already know what it is.
: 
: + Chris Petrilli                                    "Opinons represented here
: | University of Texas at Austin                      do not necessarily
: | INTERNET: petrilli@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu              represent those of a sane
: | SNAILMAIL: 429 Brady Lane, Austin, Texas, 78746    person.  Take them as
: + PHONE:     +1 512 327 0986                         simply that."


-- 
Joe Smith (408)922-6220 | SMTP: jms@tardis.tymnet.com or jms@gemini.tymnet.com
BT Tymnet Tech Services | UUCP: ...!{ames,pyramid}!oliveb!tymix!tardis!jms
PO Box 49019, MS-C51    | BIX: smithjoe | 12 PDP-10s still running! "POPJ P,"
San Jose, CA 95161-9019 | humorous dislaimer: "My Amiga speaks for me."

fair@Apple.COM (Erik E. Fair) (08/29/90)

In answer to the subject, yes, this is a valid "inet" newsgroup.

	Erik E. Fair	apple!fair	fair@apple.com