roundtable: ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update 11-8

roundtable: ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update 11/8

ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update 11/8

Ann Beeson (beeson@aclu.org)
Wed, 8 Nov 1995 17:18:55 -0500 

Date: Wed, 8 Nov 1995 17:18:55 -0500
Message-Id: <199511082218.RAA24441@pipe1.nyc.pipeline.com>
To: stop314@panix.com, roundtable@cni.org, cyber-rights@cpsr.org
Subject: ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update 11/8
From: beeson@aclu.org (Ann Beeson)


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November 8, 1995 
ACLU CYBER-LIBERTIES UPDATE 
A bi-weekly e-zine on cyber-liberties cases and controversies 
at the state and federal level. 
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IN THIS ISSUE: 
 
*  ACLU Statement and ACTION ALERT on Federal Wiretap Bill 
 
*  ACTION ALERT on Federal Online Indecency Legislation 
 
*  State Utility Commissions Consider Online Access and Privacy Issues 
 
*  News on Electronic Access to Public Information in Washington State 
 
*  John Perry Barlow Launches Cyberspace Lecture Series Co-Sponsored by the
ACLU of Washington 
 
*  ACLU Student Chapter President at Georgetown University Law Center
Writes About Marty Rimm Controversy 
 
*  Conferences 
 
*  Online Resources from the ACLU National Office and State Affiliates 
 
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FEDERAL PAGE (Congress/Agency/Court Cases) 
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* ACLU Statement and ACTION ALERT on Federal Wiretap Bill 
 
Last week, the ACLU emphatically urged the FBI to withdraw its proposal for
greatly increased wiretapping powers.  "Given the government's own
statements on the usefulness of wiretaps, we can only guess at the FBI's
motives," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU's National Washington
Office.  "But if Congress were to allow this system to go into place, we'd
have a national surveillance apparatus that would pale in comparison to the
infamous security state of the former Soviet Union." 
 
"This proposal, Murphy added, "would make the KGB look like privacy
advocates." 
 
"The proposal would dramatically reduce the privacy rights in the United
States because it would -- no matter what the Justice Department says --
result in significant increase in the number of innocent third party
conversations intercepted by law enforcement officials," Murphy said. 
"Already too many innocent conversations -- nearly two million in the last
year alone -- are intercepted by federal and local law enforcement
wiretaps." 
 
According to the government's own statistics, 1,800 innocent conversations
are intercepted each and every time a wiretap or other form of electronic
surveillance is placed. 
 
Just last week, the ACLU joined with the National Rifle Association and a
broad coalition of other gun advocates and civil liberties organizations in
calling for Congress to institute a 24-point reform plan for federal law
enforcement.  In a letter to Congress, the groups said that the excesses of
Waco and Ruby Ridge demonstrate that Congress and the Administration must
begin to reign in the powers of federal police authorities. 
 
[The 24-point reform plan and related documents are available on America
Online, at keyword ACLU, under "federal law enforcement reforms."  For an
e-mailed copy of the reform plan, send a message to infoaclu@aclu.org with
"fed law enforcement reform" in the subject line.] 
 
URGENT ACTION NEEDED: 
 
-Call the FBI at 202-252-7296 and urge it to withdraw the proposed
wiretapping system.  You can also find the phone number of the FBI's local
field offices at the FBI web site at http://www.fbi.gov. 
 
-Call the Attorney General at 202-514-2001 and urge her to order the FBI to
withdraw its wiretapping proposal. 
 
-Call your members of Congress and tell them to urge the Justice Department
and the FBI to withdraw the wiretap proposal.  Urge your representatives to
oppose any funding for this wiretap scheme.  You can reach the Capitol
Switchboard at 202-224-3121 for the Senate and 202-225-3121 for the House
of Representatives. 
 
-Call Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA), a former federal prosecutor and leading
opponent of funding effots for wiretap: 
 
     Rep. Bob Barr 
     U.S. House of Representatives 
     1607 Longworth Building 
     Washington, DC 20515 
     (202) 225-2931 
 
-Call your own telephone companies, both local and long distance, and urge
them to oppose the wiretap proposal and to stand up for the privacy rights
of their customers instead of becoming the snooping arm of a prying
government. 
 
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*  ACTION ALERT on Federal Online Indecency Legislation 
 
The conference committee on the telecommunications bill will soon consider
whether to remove provisions that would make "indecency" a crime in
cyberspace.  On Monday, November 6, we distributed an action alert urging
individuals to call Congress to express opposition to any measures to
censor the Net. 
 
THIS MAY BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO STOP UNCONSTITUTIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON YOUR
RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH IN CYBERSPACE!! 
 
[You can find the action alert on America Online, at keyword ACLU, under
"threats to civil liberties in cyberspace," or on the Internet at
http://www.vtw.org/] 
 
In addition to the call to action for individual Net users, the ACLU and
People for the American Way obtained signatures from over 75 organizations
to a letter opposing the federal online indecency provisions.  The letter
will be sent to Senator Pressler and Representative Bliley on the
conference committee later this week. 
 
[After 11/13, you can find a copy of the organizational letter on America
Online, at keyword ACLU, under "threats to civil liberties in cyberspace." 
To receive a copy of the letter via e-mail, send a message to
infoaclu@aclu.org with "organizations opposed to online censorship" in the
subject line.] 
 
The ACLU continues to prepare for a constitutional challenge to the online
censorship provisions if they become law.  Please contact Ann Beeson,
beeson@aclu.org, if your organization is interested in being a plaintiff in
this ground-breaking litigation that will define First Amendment rights in
cyberspace. 
 
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STATE PAGE (Legislation/Agency/Court Cases) 
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*  State Utility Commissions Consider Online Access and Privacy Issues 
 
Many state utilities commissions are considering issues that can affect
your online access and privacy rights, from approving caller ID to defining
universal access.  Online users are urged to stay informed and involved in
utilities commission decisions in their states that may affect cyberspace
rights.  Consumer Project on Technology has put up a list of information
about state utility commissions.  The list includes contact information for
all 50 state utility commissions, and also lists utility consumer advocates
in 40 states. 
 
See http://www.essential.org/cpt/isdn/contacts.html 
 
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*  News on Electronic Access to Public Information in Washington State 
 
A Washington State task force has been examining the issue of electronic
access to information maintained by government agencies.  The ACLU of
Washington submitted comments commending the task force for requiring some
form of free electronic access, and limiting all fees to incremental costs.
 But the task force was criticized for not paying sufficient attention to
privacy, especially increased threats to privacy presented by accumulation
of information on individuals from diverse sources.   
 
Also in Washington State, King County Superior Court Judge George Finkle
ruled that Geographical Information System databases are public records and
must be made available to the public for nominal copying fees.  (GIS
systems are databases that contain information associated with a physical
location, such as the location of utility cables, public buildings, roads,
demographic information, zoning info, or traffic density.)  As in many
locations around the country, the City of Bellevue had attempted to charge
far higher fees for GIS databases, which were created for government use
but also have commercial value.  This ruling reaffirms the notion that
public information should be available to all, not just those with deep
pockets. 
 
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*  John Perry Barlow Launches Cyberspace Lecture Series Co-Sponsored by the
ACLU of Washington 
 
The ACLU of Washington began a series of talks in Seattle to explore the
impact and implications of the technology revolution on art and culture. 
John Perry Barlow, former Grateful Dead lyricist and co-founder of the
Electronic Frontier Foundation, launched the series on November 3rd. 
"Cyberspace is largely about conversation that ultimately could include
everybody on the planet . . . . Cyberspace can be the greatest venue for
freedom of expression humans have ever had," said Barlow.  Barlow talked of
the spiritual dimension of cyberspace, which he sees as an egalitarian
ecosystem with the potential to link "every synapse on the planet."  For
him cyberspace must be a place where anybody can say anything they think
without fear of reprisal.  But he tempered his lyrical vision of
cyberculture with a warning of the dangers of censorship from elected
officials who do not appreciate -- or even understand -- how new forms of
communication function.  "When I visit Congress, I feel like Tom Paine in
the Court of King George," Barlow quipped. 
 
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*  ACLU-Georgetown University Law Center President Writes Articles on the
Marty Rimm controversy 
 
Alan Lewine, President of the ACLU student chapter at GULC, has written a
series of articles for the Georgetown Law Weekly on the Georgetown Law
Journal's involvement in the controversial publication of Marty Rimm's
purported study of net porn. They are available at
http://www.tripod.com/userland/A/alewine/index.html 
 
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CONFERENCES 
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Nov 8, 6 pm: "Regulating the Internet: Should Pornography Have A Free Ride
on the Information Superhighway?"  Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, 55
Fifth Avenue, New York, New York.  Panelists include Nadine Strossen,
National President, ACLU; Bill Burrington, Staff Counsel of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation; and Barbara Bennett Woodhouse, Professor of Law at
University of Pennsylvania Law School.  Sponsored by the Cardozo Arts &
Entertainment Law Journal. 
 
Nov 16, 5 pm: Nadine Strossen (National President, ACLU) speaks on
"Defending Pornography: A Feminist Perspective on New Technologies and
Old-Fashioned Sex," GULC, 600 New Jersey NW, 12th Floor Ballroom, Gewirz
Hall.  Co-sponsored by ACLU-GULC and the Student Bar Association Speakers
Fund. 
 
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ONLINE RESOURCES FROM THE ACLU NATIONAL OFFICE 
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Stay tuned for news on the ACLU's world wide web site, under construction
at http://www.aclu.org.  America Online users should check out our live
chats, auditorium events, *very* active message boards, and complete news
on civil liberties, at keyword ACLU. 
 
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ONLINE RESOURCES FROM ACLU STATE AFFILIATES 
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Florida: 
ACLU of Pinellas County Florida 
http://www.stpt.usf.edu/~greek/aclu.html 
 
Illinois: 
Illinois Civil Liberties Union 
http://www.aclu-il.org/ 
 
Champaign County, Illinois ACLU Chapter 
http://www.prairienet.org/cc-aclu/ 
(The chapter also maintains an Illinois Civil Liberties Alert List.  To
subscribe send a message to cla@prairienet.org) 
 
Indiana: 
Indiana Civil Liberties Union 
http://www.inetdirect.net/iclu/ 
 
South Carolina: 
ACLU of South Carolina 
http://www.cris.com/~katrinan/aclu/index.html 
 
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ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update 
Editor: Ann Beeson (beeson@aclu.org) 
American Civil Liberties Union National Office 
132 West 43rd Street 
New York, New York 10036 
 
To subscribe to the ACLU Cyber-Liberties Update, send a message to
infoaclu@aclu.org with "subscribe Cyber-Liberties Update" in the subject
line of your message.  To terminate your subscription, send a message to
infoaclu@aclu.org with "unsubscribe Cyber-Liberties Update" in the subject
line. 
 
For general information about the ACLU, write to infoaclu@aclu.org. 
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