Articles
- FidoNews goes Internet full blast!
- Big Brother Alert!! Protect YOUR Privacy NOW!!
- Free keys for Silver Xpress Mail Doors
FidoNews goes Internet full blast!
Thanks to the untiring efforts of jim barchuk of 1:141/355, FidoNews now joins the domain realm of the Internet as the new site comes online at:
on a dedicated machine that replaces the old geocities.com listing for FidoNews in HTML.
The new site will contain the latest Issues as well as readable archives of all the old Issues. It will also have an online article submission engine and eventually search capability and any other features jim can think up. [grin]
It also provides YAEA [yet another email address] for the Editor at:
Updated: editor@fidonews.org Was: cbaker84@fidonews.org
as well as jim's new address of:
as site manager and domain guru.
The new domain name was fully approved by Tom Jennings [tomj@wps.com] and will be fully transferable to future Editors and site managers as necessary.
Although some in FidoNet decry the "Internetzation"[tm] of our amateur network, the reality is that FidoNet IS part of the Internet and CAN and DOES benefit by the links it maintains there directly and indirectly. Internet access is the only long-distance support some FidoNet Sysops can afford in order to provide their Users the best of the material [Nodelists, FidoNews, software, etc.] available within FidoNet. The short-sighted see the Internet as competition for their dwindling userbase. The rest of us see the Internet as an evolutionary step to greater accessibility. Instead of boohooing, start exploiting.
The new site is not completed, yet, but it has all the basics in place and is ready for your perusal. You should also leave email to jim as you pass with any suggestions or ideas you think will improve the service there. A Guestbook and a FidoNet Webring link will also be added soon.
My personal thanks to jim for this purely volunteer effort seem meager compared to his work on this project, but nevertheless, "THANKS, jim!"
I hope all of you with Internet access will go take a look at FidoNet's latest improvement at www.fidonews.org and while you're at it, go to the FidoNet Webring page and put YOUR FidoNet-related web info into circulation at:
Updated: http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?home&ring=fidonet Was: http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fnetring.html
and help FidoNet reach even farther!
QOFM.
Chris
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back to main table of contentsBig Brother Alert!! Protect YOUR Privacy NOW!!
To: vtw-announce@vtw.org
From: shabbir@vtw.org (Shabbir J. Safdar)
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 1997 14:41:18 -0400
Sender: owner-vtw-announce@vtw.org
Reply-To: vtw-announce@vtw.org
********************************************************************** * VTW-ANNOUNCE * * * * The following message is sent to you through vtw-announce, an * * announcement.only list to which you are only added to at your * * request. To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo@vtw.org with the * * words "unsubscribe vtw-announce" in the body of the message. * * Unsubscribe requests sent back to shabbir will not be effective at * * removing you from the list. * ********************************************************************** ====================================================================== ____ _ ____ _ _ | __ )(_) __ _ | __ ) _ __ ___ | |_| |__ ___ _ __ Stop Big Brother | _ \| |/ _` | | _ \| '__/ _ \| __| '_ \ / _ \ '__|Amendment, coming | |_) | | (_| | | |_) | | | (_) | |_| | | | __/ | next week in the |____/|_|\__, | |____/|_| \___/ \__|_| |_|\___|_| House Commerce |___/ committee! Posted September 18, 1997 Please forward where appropriate until September 28, 1997 This alert brought to you by The Voters Telecommunications Watch, The Center for Democracy & Technology, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Wired Magazine, and Americans for Tax Reform
Table of Contents
- Stop the Government From Building Big Brother Into The Internet
- What You Can Do
- -Please contact four leading members of Congress
- Background
- About This Alert
STOP THE GOVERNMENT FROM BUILDING BIG BROTHER INTO THE INTERNET
In 1948, George Orwell described a future world in which Big Brother peaked over the shoulder of every citizen -- watching every move and listening to every word.
Now, in 1997, the FBI is pushing the United States Congress to pass legislation which would make George Orwell's frightening vision a reality.
Next week the House Commerce Committee will meet to consider a proposal that would require all Americans to provide the government guaranteed access to their private online communications and business transactions. Taking a page out of Orwell's 1984, the FBI-spawned proposal would require that every part of the Internet -- from the software on your computer to the network provider that carries your messages around the net -- be jury-rigged to divulge your private conversations immediately on request by the FBI (see below).
Unfortunately, this is not a work of fiction.
The amendment, to be offered by Representatives Mike Oxley (R-OH) and Thomas Manton (D-NY), is a serious threat to your privacy and represents the first and final step in the construction of a National Surveillance Infrastructure.
A vote is expected on September 25. The future of privacy and security in the information age is in the hands of the Commerce Committee, and they need to know that folks are watching and care about the outcome.
On Monday September 22, please join thousands of Internet users all across the country as we call on Congress to stop big brother. With your help and support, we can ensure that George Orwell's 1984 does not become a reality.
All the information you need is attached below.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. ON MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, pick up the phone and call as many of the four leading members of the Commerce committee as you can:
Chairman Thomas Bliley (R-VA) (202) 225-2815 Ranking member John Dingell (D-MI) (202) 225-4071 Rep. Tauzin (R-LA) (202) 225-4031 Rep. Markey (D-MA) (202) 225-2836
2. Ask for the staffer that handles the encryption issue.
3. Say that you're calling to urge the Congressman to pass SAFE (HR695) without amendments.
Specifically, say that you "OPPOSE THE OXLEY/MANTON BIG BROTHER AMENDMENT. Americans should not be required to give the government keys to the front door of their house, and they shouldn't be required to give the government the keys to unlock their private online communications."
Other amendments may be proposed. Please urge the Congressman to pass SAFE "as is" and oppose any amendments. Feel free to use your own words though here are some points you might want to stress:
- Oxley/Manton is a dramatic expansion of law enforcement power. It would give law enforcement "immediate" access to private online communications and business transactions without any notice or knowledge to the user.
- Oxley/Manton is NOT A BALANCE BETWEEN PRIVACY INTERESTS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT CONCERNS, as some supporters have argued. It gives the FBI broad new power while stripping Americans of their Fourth Amendment right to be secure from unreasonable searches and seizures.
- Oxley/Manton would give the Attorney General authority to dictate the design of Internet services and software to suit the needs of law enforcement.
- Oxley/Manton would not stop crime. Strong encryption without "immediate access" features is available today at home and abroad.
- Oxley/Manton would increase opportunities for cybercrime as criminal hackers attack vulnerabilities in the key recovery access system.
4. Let us know how it went! Go to one of the following web pages, depending on who you called, and tell us about the conversation.
Rep. Bliley http://www.crypto.com/member/meet.cgi?membid=va07 [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]]
Rep. Dingell http://www.crypto.com/member/meet.cgi?membid=mi16 [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]]
Rep. Tauzin http://www.crypto.com/member/meet.cgi?membid=la03 [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]]
Rep. Markey http://www.crypto.com/member/meet.cgi?membid=ma07 [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]]
5. Forward this ALERT to your friends and colleagues.
6. Feel good about yourself! Know that you've stood up for privacy, and contacting Congress is more than most people take the time to do!
BACKGROUND
The House Commerce Committee is considering a bill known as the "Security and Freedom through Encryption Act" (HR 695, a.k.a. SAFE). SAFE would encourage the widespread availability of strong, easy-to- use encryption technologies in order to protect privacy and promote electronic commerce on the Internet. SAFE enjoys broad support from Internet users, civil liberties advocates, and over 250 members of Congress.
Last week, the Commerce Committee delayed its vote on the SAFE bill in
order to give the Committee more time to study the implications of the
Oxley/Manton amendment, which would change SAFE to ban encryption
which does not contain features that provide law enforcement with
"immediate access" to the plain text of encrypted information,
including private communications and business transactions (visit
http://www.crypto.com/safe_bill/ [faulty URL [jb 4/25/01]])
The Oxley/Manton amendment would for the first time impose sweeping restrictions on the ability of American citizens to protect their privacy on US soil. Specifically, the amendment would:
- PROHIBIT THE DOMESTIC MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF ENCRYPTION PRODUCTS OR SERVICES WHICH DO NOT PROVIDE INSTANT ACCESS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT: The proposal would prohibit the manufacture, sale, import, or distribution within the United States of any encryption product unless it allows "immediate access" to the plain text of any user's messages or files without the user's knowledge.
- GRANT BROAD NEW AUTHORITY FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO SET TECHNICAL STANDARDS FOR ENCRYPTION PRODUCTS: The proposal allows the Attorney General to set standards for what are and are not acceptable encryption products. The proposal's requirement of immediate access to plain text would seem to seriously limit the options available to encryption manufacturers seeking approval of their products.
The amendment does not specify whether the immediate access "features" could be activated (or not) at the option of the purchaser or end user. Nonetheless, requiring that such a capability be installed in all domestic communications networks and encryption products is the equivalent of enabling a national surveillance infrastructure and asserts unprecedented control over the design of Internet software, hardware, and services.
The amendment is analogous to the government requiring surveillance cameras in every new house built in the United States, which could be turned on remotely by the police if you were ever suspected of committing a crime.
Worse yet, such "key escrow" or "key recovery" technologies pose significant risk to the security of the Internet -- providing new points of vulnerability for hackers, terrorists, and industrial spies to exploit. A recent study by 11 of the worlds leading cryptographers concluded that the large scale deployment of such technologies would be too complex and too insecure to meet the needs of an Information Age society (see http://www.crypto.com/key_study/)
Despite widespread opposition from Internet users, civil liberties groups, privacy advocates, and the computer and communications industries, Oxley and Manton plan to push for this FBI spawned amendment at the Commerce Committee vote. If it is adopted, it would represent the first and final step in the development of a national surveillance infrastructure.
ABOUT THIS ALERT
This message was brought to you by the Center for Democracy and Technology (http://www.cdt.org), the Voters Telecommunications Watch (http://www.vtw.org/), the Electronic Frontier Foundation (http://www.eff.org/), Wired Magazine (http://www.wired.com/), and Americans for Tax Reform (http://www.atr.org/) who have joined together on this alert.
end alert 09.18.1997 net
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