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Computer underground Digest Wed May 29, 1996 Volume 8 : Issue 40
ISSN 1004-042X
Editor: Jim Thomas (cudigest@sun.soci.niu.edu)
News Editor: Gordon Meyer (gmeyer@sun.soci.niu.edu)
Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
Field Agent Extraordinaire: David Smith
Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
Ian Dickinson
Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest
CONTENTS, #8.40 (Wed, May 29, 1996)
File 1--PERSPECTIVE: "Act Locally!"
File 2--bonfire: organizing online
File 3--cDc has a plan for your life!-5/27
File 4--about Friday's "Congress and the Internet" Beltway hearing
File 5--Re: Civil Liberties and Encryption
File 6--More Information about Getting Online (Conference)
File 7--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 7 Apr, 1996)
CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ApPEARS IN
THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 24 May 1996 02:14:04 -0500 (CDT)
From: telstar@wired.com
Subject: File 1--PERSPECTIVE: "Act Locally!"
Yesterday I conducted an interview with U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy
(D-Vermont). The interview was done in audio format as one of HotWired's
"Wiredside Chats," and all in all, I thought it went pretty well.
I mean, I'm no Larry King, but it's great to explore the frontiers of the
Internet as a true mass communications medium.
At one point in the interview, I asked Senator Leahy if the Internet
community should be doing more to promote our interests within Congress.
The Senator responded as follows:
"Well, you've got to put faces on the Internet community," Leahy said.
"One important thing is to try and get a dozen or so people together, then
make an appointment to go visit the home office of your legislators. Meet
them for a cup of coffee to demonstrate what people are really doing with
the Internet."
Sagely advice.
I'm of the opinion that the Net community has been largely invisible as a
political force. As a result, Congress has found it easy to pass
shit-stupid Internet legislation, because they don't feel that they'll be
held accountable to a constituency of Internet voters.
In such an environment, it should come as little surprise that we had the
Communications Decency Act rammed down our throats earlier this year. And
if we don't get our act together soon, there's plenty more nasty
legislation that'll we'll have to grapple with. Encryption restrictions.
Copyright proposals. FCC regulation. You name it. They'll all be coming
down the pipes in the months and years ahead.
One solution to this problem, of course, is local political action. Simple
things - like writing letters or meeting with your legislators - can make a
BIG difference.
The following article by Rich Burroughs puts all these issues in useful
perspective. In addition, Rich's article also comes with a handy-dandy
"clip n' save" guide to getting organized locally.
Read on... think about it... and of course....
Work the network!
--Todd Lappin-->
Section Editor
WIRED Magazine
(P.S. You can tune in to a RealAudio recording of my interview with
Senator Leahy by stopping by at:
http://www.hotwired.com/netizenaudio/96/21/index3a.html)
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
"ACT LOCALLY"
By: Rich Burroughs <richieb@teleport.com>
From=20"Cause for Alarm,"
May, 1996
http://www.teleport.com/~richieb/cause/may96.shtml
If "act locally" becomes the net.activist's meme of choice in late 1996,
it will be largely due to the efforts of Jon Lebkowsky, among others.
Lebkowsky, a former co-founder and CEO of Fringe Ware, now hosts HotWired's
Electronic Frontiers Forum Thursdays at 7 PM Pacific time at Club Wired.
He's also a founding member of EFF-Austin and is currently vice-president
of that organization, in addition to writing his zine, Cyberdawg Barking.
Why is Lebkowsky all riled up? "The Exon bill, from which the CDA evolved,
hit me pretty hard," he said. "I realized that=8Arepressive political group=
s
were organizing effectively while progressives and civil libertarians were
in disarray. I had been throwing all my time into a commercial effort, but
I was finished with that project, ready to shift gears=8A. Then HotWired
offered me the Electronic Frontiers Forum, and I found myself totally
immersed again in cyberactivism."
Anyone who's attended Lebkowsky's Thursday night jams (which have featured
such activist luminaries as Mike Godwin, Ann Beeson, and Steve Jackson) has
probably heard him grumble about the need for more grass roots action. He
urges people to start their own local organizations because, "Only local
groups can monitor local politics=8A. Freedom can be threatened as readily =
on
a municipal as a state or national level, so it's as important to have a
network of empowered activists organizing cities as it is to have activists
working 'inside the Beltway'."
In fact, at least 16 states have proposed some sort of Net censorship
legislation, including California, Washington, New York, Connecticut, and
Georgia. National organizations are lucky to have the resources to even
track all of the state bills that are being proposed, let alone to combat
that legislation on a case-by-case basis. A local group can try to head
these threats off at the pass by mobilizing local support and mounting a
grass roots opposition. Stanton McCandlish, an Online Activist for EFF and
another proponent of local groups, observed that "It matters more to a
typical Bostonian that a (hypothetical) EF-Massachusetts is acting on
behalf of the [Massachusetts] public on a state or even local issue, than
it does that some organization in DC is doing something similar on the
national level. It's closer to home."
Local groups can influence national politics, as well, by contacting their
Congressional representatives on their home turf. Jonah Seiger, a Policy
Analyst for CDT, feels that one of the biggest challenges facing online
activists is putting a human face on the Net user. "It's amazing when you
think about it that 115,000 people signed the petition for Leahy, [and] the
day of protest generated 20,000 to 30,000 phone calls in one day," Seiger
said. "But what's missing from that=8Awhen I talk to members of Congress an=
d
their staff, is the sort of image of who these people are. There's
this=8Aidea that the Internet community, for better or for worse, is=8Aeith=
er
college kids or these freaked-out libertarian hackers with long hair and
beards. Those are wonderful people, all of them, but they're not the only
part of the Net community."
The answer to this dilemma is making personal contact with your
legislators. "Go to your town meetings when your representative is in town
talking about the issues," Seiger added. "Go there=8Aintroduce yourself, sa=
y,
'Hi=8AI'm an avid Internet user and I voted for you in the last election, a=
nd
I have some concerns about some of the policy choices that Congress has
made=8A.' Introduce them to your ISP, introduce them to a web publishing
house, introduce them to somebody who's trying to make a living, even if
it's just one person, using the Net. Let them see that, in fact, this is a
constituency that they can respond to and be rewarded for responding to."
Lebkowsky points out that making those kind of personal connections, in
"meatspace," means a lot. "It'll be sometime before the average guy or the
average politician comprehends 'virtual life.' My experience tells me that
community never quite kicks in so long as it is strictly virtual=8Ait's onl=
y
when we meet as meat that we connect on all levels," he said.
As for how to start a local organization, Lebkowsky is, "working on a guide
for local orgs that I'll distribute freely online, and later I'll beef it
up so that it can be published as a book," he said. "Otherwise, folks
needing help can email EFF-Austin's directors <eff-austin-directors@io.com>
and check out our web page at http://www.eff-austin.org.
Also check web pages for other orgs: http://www.eff.org,
http://www.cdt.org, http://www.vtw.org, http://www.epic.org, etc."
Here's some advice to consider when starting your own group (from Lebkowsky
and McCandlish):
-- Establish an online presence. Find an ISP or other system that will
provide a comp account.
-- Set up an email list (majordomo, listserv, etc.) for members and
interested persons.
-- Create a web page and perhaps a gopher. Include a membership form on the
web page.
-- Recruit members online and in meatspace. Keep dues low.
-- Organize your constituency online and offline; keep their loyalty; work
them into activity - you want activists, not lurkers.
-- Build resources for the public - especially an online library of
documents. Give back to the community that supports you in more ways than
one.
-- Seek those with experience where you need it - communicating online,
dealing with policymakers, public relations, fundraising, design and
publication, legislative and legal analysis, fiscal management. Proceed to
learn these skills internally, as well.
-- Get to know the press. Learn to use the traditional media effectively.
-- Get to know the police. EFF-Austin has a police liaison (Bruce
Sterling). One of his jobs is to ensure that the police know who we are and
will call us for consultation.
-- Research, research, research. Learn your issues and their legalities
like the back of your hand. Become an authoritative voice on the matters
that concern your organization.
-- Educate legislators about the issues. Educate the press and public as we=
ll.
-- Take public positions. Craft statements, press releases and action
alerts. Keep your constituency and the public updated on hot issues.
-- Organize events to highlight the issues.
-- Work with, not against, other organizations. Build coalitions, work
cooperatively.
-- Deal reasonably with criticism.
-- Minimize costs.
###
+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+
This transmission was brought to you by....
THE CDA DISASTER NETWORK
The CDA Disaster Network is a moderated distribution list providing
up-to-the-minute bulletins and background on efforts to overturn the
Communications Decency Act. To subscribe, send email to
<majordomo@wired.com> with "subscribe cda-bulletin" in the message body.
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 May 1996 05:17:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: jonl@well.com
Subject: File 2--bonfire: organizing online
Bob Anderson and I have set up an email list, bonfire, specifically
for discussions (or meta-discussions) of the issues of organizing
local online activist orgs. This is related to the evolution of a
organizer's guide that will eventually be placed online somewhere
(and may be included in a published anthology).
Who knows where this will go? Please join us:
To subscribe send mail to:
bonfire-request@podbox.austin.tx.us
With this is in the body of the message
ADD address
To get a copy of the 'Organize Locally' rough draft
send mail to the same address with this in the body:
FAQ
--
Jon Lebkowsky <jonl@wired.com> http://www.well.com/~jonl
Electronic Frontiers Forum, 7PM PST Thursdays <http://www.hotwired.com/eff>
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 27 May 96 06:22:16 EDT
From: Swamp Ratte <sratte@phantom.com>
Subject: File 3--cDc has a plan for your life!-5/27
_ _
((___))
[ x x ] cDc communications
\ / Press Release
(' ') May 27th, 1996
(U)
Est. 1986
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: sratte@phantom.com
PRAISE HER BLESSED NAME
Death is good. Recent events in Great Britain only underscore the
lack of true understanding of the so-called Mad Cow imbroglio. This
situation is _not_ a disaster. As was prophesyed by the enlightened
ones, "a sign would come from the verdant isle...where many hooves
would point to the heavens and...countless beasts would be cast into
a great fire." It was further revealed that, "...their baleful
agony would choke the nation as their souls flew free from their
mighty torment."
What was foretold has come to pass. The milk of deliverance is at
hand. The lactic jihad has begun.
CULT OF THE DEAD COW (cDc) has preserved the Bovine mysteries
throughout the ages. We have worked in secret. We have kept faith
with the lustrous truth, knowing that one day our time would come.
The dawn has broken. Let those who have hungered for meaning gather
now. CULT OF THE DEAD COW has moved from the margins to the
epicentre. And as was further prophesyed, "ye shall make it known
on the great device" and send your message "throughout the world
inside itself".
It is now time for us to begin our universal ministry on the world's
most powerful medium. We are not here to make billions of dollars
from the digisphere as the godless are. We are here to tell the
truth. CULT OF THE DEAD COW has arrived to tell all humankind that
the COW will seize its rightful dominion and be honored above all
idols and pretenders. Let the torment of their fiery demise be an
instruction to us all. How far are you from the furnace? Who will
hear your cries? CULT OF THE DEAD COW is that bridge between you
and eternity. THE COW is your comfort and solace and a giving
helper to all who call.
In the coming weeks and months while all of England's moneychangers
mourn their loss, think of this. There are far more important
things in this world than the loss of lucre. Think of your immortal
soul and your place in the cosmos. Do not let millions of innocents
writhe in deepest agony for naught. It is the foulest affront to
THE COW to be sold like a slave and butchered without care. Ponder
these things and know that CULT OF THE DEAD COW will free you from
noxious ignorance and be a lamp to your eternal salvation. We will
have more to say.
Fools better recognize: CULT OF THE DEAD COW is the publishing
division of cDc communications. Established in 1986, cDc is the
largest and oldest organization of the telecommunications
underground worldwide. You thirst for our body of work, you know
you do. Find it at:
web://www.l0pht.com/cdc.html, ftp/gopher from cascade.net, or old-school BBS
from 806.794.4362 entry:kill. For further information, contact:
email:sratte@phantom.com or snail:pob 53011, lubbock, tx, 79424, usa.
####
Copyright (c) 1996 cDc communications and OXblood Ruffin.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 May 1996 13:30:33 -0700
From: jwarren@WELL.COM(Jim Warren)
Subject: File 4--about Friday's "Congress and the Internet" Beltway hearing
Last Friday (5/24) morning, east coast time, a congressional subcommittee
held a hearing on Congress and the Internet. And they accepted testimony
by email -- to an AOL address (cyberrep@aol.com) -- from anyone who
happened to discover that the hearing was scheduled and happening.
As far as I know, *no* committee staffer nor committee member made *any*
attempt whatsoever to spread announcement of the hearing across the net
that was its focus. If such a non-Beltway announcement was even attempted,
it certainly wasn't successful.
Nonetheless, whether it was intended or not, by the committee chair or its
members, a DC insider leaked word of the hearing out beyond the Beltway
<gasp!> -- at least to a *few* of us -- and I had entire *hours* of
advanced warning in which to draft the following submission to the
committee.
I caught on C-SPAN, how this was reported by the committee chair -- the
briefist of excerpts of the most innocuous, least substantive (least
controversial :-) recommendations that I submitted.
What he read was part of what I wrote, but very different from the *real*
meat of my testimony -- that wasn't nearly as long as one committee
member's [Beilenson, Democrat-CA] rambling chit-chat about how much he
enjoyed visiting Colorado a few years back. (Now *that's* really pertinent
to Congress and the Internet; isn't it? And then they wonder why so many
of us are so bitterly cynical about how Congress and the Beltway insiders
operate!)
--jim
<circulate freely>
[emailed 5:02pm *Pacific* time, on 5/23/96, for 5/24 morn East Coast hearing]
From--jwarren@well.com (Jim Warren)
Subject--comments from a citizen-activist beyond the Beltway
Dear Rules Committee members --
I will forego the flowerly language and risk candid brevity:
Those of us who have no hired lobbyists in Washington can *effectively*
participate in the process of our own governance *only* to the extent that
(1) we have TIMELY access to ADEQUATE information about issues BEFORE they
are functionally decided by the committees of our elected representatives,
and
(2) those who vote on decisions that impact us all give balanced
consideration to the comments and pleas from all of those who will be
impacted, who wish to be heard.
The global Internet can greatly facilitate such access.
Here are some suggested groundrules:
1. To allow an *informed* electorate: Any documents prepared by
congressional staff or Members using a word-processor should be placed on
"free" [tax-supported] public-access congressional Internet file-servers AT
THE SAME TIME that paper or faxed copies are made available to lobbyists
and special interest representatives inside the Beltway or in donors'
offices.
To do anything less, *unnecessarily* continues to benefit and
empower the few at the expense of the many -- notably including most of the
Members' constituents.
The California legislature has been doing much of this since 1994;
other state legislatures are also beginning to do so. For Members of
Congress to say that they can't do it is simply unbelievable.
We all understand that, "knowledge is power," and that senior
Members and committee Chairs use selective disclosure to empower themselves
and those whom they favor, and use delayed disclosure to emasculate their
opponents.
But we citizens *should* be treated as those whom Members favor.
Members should *not* CONTINUE to treat citizens, in this way, as opponents.
Empower the electorate beyond the Beltway to participate in their [our!]
own governance -- even when it means sharing the power held by senior
Members. If legislation is laudible, it -- and its mark-up and analyses
and reports and drafts -- can withstand the bright light of *timely*,
nationwide public access and scrutiny.
Technology now makes it possible to empower representative
democracy by allowing citizens the *option* of being fully and timely
informed. Please -- do so!
2. Regarding the handling of electronic mail sent to elected
representatives -- who vote on decisions that effect *everyone* (*not*
merely those constituents or party members who can re-elect them):
Elected representatives who accept campaign contributions from
sources other than constituents in their districts, should also accept
email from senders other than constituents in their districts, and should
be comparably responsive.
Anything less simply provides concrete, measurable *evidence* that
government belongs only to those who can buy it, and further *valdates*
citizen cynicism about Congress, Washington and their [our!] powerlessness
against the big-bucks "Beltway bandits."
These are merely two worthy starting points. There is much more that can
be done to facilitate and enhance representative democracy via
well-established, well-understood information technology and public
networking.
Please, honor your Office by allowing all of us to have effective
access. Please -- delay no longer!
I remain, Sincerely,
/s/ Jim Warren
GovAccess list-owner/editor, advocate & columnist (jwarren@well.com)
345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/<# upon request>
[1994 James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award,
Society of Professional Journalists - Nor.Cal.;
1994 Hugh M. Hefner First-Amendment Award, Playboy Foundation;
1992 Pioneer Award, Electronic Frontier Foundation (its first year);
founded the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conferences, InfoWorld magazine, etc.]
=== EXPLANATION OF WHAT GOVACCESS IS & WHERE TO FIND ITS ARCHIVES ===
GovAccess is a list distributing irregular info & advocacy regarding
technology and civil liberties, citizen access to government - and
government access to citizens, covert and overt.
To add or drop GovAccess, email to Majordomo@well.com ('Subject' ignored)
with message: [un]subscribe GovAccess YourEmailAddress (insert your eaddr)
For brief description of GovAccess, send the message: info GovAccess
Past postings are at ftp.cpsr.org: /cpsr/states/california/govaccess
and by WWW at http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/states/california/govaccess .
Also forwarded to USENET's comp.org.cpsr.talk by CPSR's Al Whaley.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 May 1996 10:17:35 -0400
From: Wes Morgan <morgan@ENGR.UKY.EDU>
Subject: File 5--Re: Civil Liberties and Encryption
>Date--23 May 96 04:00:19 EDT
>From--Lance Rose <72230.2044@CompuServe.COM>
>Subject--File 1--The Civil Liberies On-line Circus
>
>Whoa -- let's circle back to the top now. Isn't an indecency standard
>of some sort very much in place for television today? And isn't
>television a hugely popular mass medium, at the very center of U.S.
>and other societies?
It's inarguably clear that television is popular, but that is not
the question at hand. We must consider the participation of the
"average Joe" (or, to borrow a legal phrase, a "reasonable person")
in the medium. Television *is* popular, but it is hardly open to
the average Joe; when was the last time your neighbor broadcast a
television program? The production facilities required, even for
the most rudimentary public-access-channel documentary, create an
effective barrier to mass participation. Television is a one-way
street; its 'heavy hitters' can easily afford the control structure
(and legal/regulatory bureaucracy) necessary to follow the indecency
standards. This bureaucracy trickles down to the level of the indi-
vidual network affiliate...
The Net, on the other hand, actively encourages participation; indeed,
it makes such participation almost trivially simple. Your neighbor