December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: I thought of an initialy regulated industry!... (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 19:58:31 +0000 > From: Michael Hohensee <mah248(a)is9.nyu.edu> > Subject: Re: I thought of an initialy regulated industry!... (fwd) > > What specificaly is there about the relationship between natural gas and > > gasoline that leads you to believe that the comparison of lethality between > > the waste products of a coal plant vurses a nuclear plant is such that the > > waste of a nuclear plant is more lethal because there is more toxic > > byproduct and it is in higher concentrations? > > Absolutely nothing. That's my point, not yours --or at least not the > point you made in your previous post. It is *exactly* the point I have made from day 1. If you believe otherwise the mistake is yours. ____________________________________________________________________ To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice. Confucius The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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WSJ on NYC Smart Card Pilot
by David Watts 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Technological Glitches Trip Up New York Debut of Plastic Cash By PAUL BECKETT Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Smart cards invaded New York last year, when four of consumer banking's most sophisticated players began one of the biggest real-world trials of plastic cash. But right from the start, the closely watched effort slipped on an unforeseen banana peel: technology. In a test with far-reaching implications, Chase Manhattan Corp., Citicorp --now part of Citigroup Inc. -- MasterCard International and Visa USA co-sponsored the pilot program, which began last October. They distributed about 96,000 smart cards embedded with computer chips to residents of Manhattan's Upper West Side. Then they watched to see how willing people were to use the cards instead of cash. The answer is, not very, according to merchants and consumers. A big reason was the support network of hardware was so riddled with technical and logistical headaches that it often made using the smart cards a hassle instead of a breeze. Usage has dwindled to a trickle. More than a third of the 600 merchants who signed up for the pilot either have quit or were eliminated from the test by the sponsors. Many of the ones who remain are fed up. Smart cards figure in an antitrust lawsuit the Justice Department filed against Visa and MasterCard Wednesday. The regulators accuse the bank-controlled credit-card networks of holding back on efforts to develop new products, including smart cards. Visa and MasterCard denied the charges and vowed to defend themselves. The smart cards in the Manhattan test work like the long-distance phone cards that vending machines in supermarkets sell. The cards -- either a Visa Cash card issued by Citigroup's Citibank unit, or a MasterCard Mondex card issued by Chase -- are filled with cash from a person's bank account. Users draw on the card's stored cash as they pay for merchandise; store clerks swipe it through a special terminal at the point of purchase. Users can refill the card with cash at a bank or automated teller machine. For the test, there are no annual or transaction fees for customers or merchants. Tough Customers The sponsors chose as their guinea pigs the Manhattanites who live in the swath of real estate between Central Park and the Hudson River, an eclectic stew of millionaires, welfare families, and everyone in between. Many of these tough customers quickly found smart cards were actually pretty dumb. For a start, they weren't accepted in taxis, buses, and subways. There also is a harder-to-explain psychological resistance to the smart cards. "It seems rather un-American to me," says Greg Knight, who lives on the Upper West Side and works at NYCD Compact Disks. The store participates in the smart-card program but doesn't record many transactions. Mr. Knight says he has a smart card but doesn't use it. A busy Duane Reade drugstore on Amsterdam Avenue should have been a good testing ground, because most of what it sells is low-priced. But the smart-card scanners installed at the checkout break down two or three times a month, says store manager Sammy Austin. After calling the program's "help desk," Mr. Austin says, he has waited as long as six days for a repairman, plus two more days for replacement machines. "If they could improve the system, I think plenty of customers would use it," Mr. Austin says. "But in a city like New York, where it's hustle and bustle, everybody wants to be treated one-two-three, and if you can't accommodate your customers, they're just going to forget about it. It turns you off." Sponsors say one reason for the high drop-off rate among merchants is that there was never any screening: The program was open to any merchant who wanted to join. The sponsors themselves later culled out merchants who were recording few smart-card transactions. Few Purchases Zabar's, an always-crowded gourmet food store on Broadway, had its share of technological problems early in the program. When calling the help desk didn't help, the store bowed out of the experiment for several weeks, says Zabar's manager David Tait. The store has since returned, and things have gone more smoothly. Still, it rings up only 25 smart-card purchases a day, Mr. Tait says. Many of the payment terminals that malfunctioned were made by Hewlett-Packard Co.'s VeriFone unit, the biggest of the pilot program's three hardware suppliers. Machines made by the other two -- Hypercom Corp., of Phoenix, and IVI Ingenico Inc., a Canadian-French joint venture -- had early technical problems, too, the sponsors say, but on a smaller scale. VeriFone spokesman Dan Toporek acknowledges the glitches. "There were instances where the machines weren't installed or configured properly," he says. Still, he says Verifone regards the terminals as a success. Nick Massimiano, vice president at Chase Manhattan, says the sponsors moved fast to address the delays in service. A software adjustment fixed many of the problems with the Verifone terminals, he says. Foot patrols of repair technicians check in with merchants to help trouble-shoot. Fairway, a bustling supermarket on Broadway, stopped taking smart cards after just a few weeks. Employees there said it was a hassle to process transactions on the smart-card terminal, which is separate from both the cash register and the credit-card machine. Other merchants complain about having to reconcile their terminals with the smart cards' central computer at the end of the day, so the smart-card purchases will land in their bank accounts. For this task, the sponsors had presented retailers with various options, but some employees never got the hang of the task. So at many of the stores, it became a bothersome after-hours chore for the boss. Mr. Massimiano says adjustments in the modem timing of the terminals has made it easier for stores to settle accounts at the end of the day. But the real issue here is training, not technology, he says. The sponsors issued desktop guides for making the fund transfers. The roaming foot patrols also provide training assistance, he says. 'A Less Positive Experience' "Lots of little things, when you add them up, can create a less than a positive experience," concedes Ron Braco, senior vice president and director of electronic commerce for Chase Manhattan's consumer-banking division. Still, the program has yielded some victories, he says. For the first time in any test program, the Visa and MasterCard smart cards were accepted on the same terminals. Lessons learned suggest the four partners will shy away from broad efforts to blanket an entire neighborhood, focusing instead on specific retail niches in which smart cards are especially useful. "I would say the time for experimentation is probably passed now," says Richard Phillimore, senior vice president of MasterCard's chip-business group. "This really points the direction toward rolling out not necessarily by geography but by merchant sector." One such sector is small-ticket purchases -- launderettes and newsstands, for example. In the latest chapter of the Upper West Side test, smart cards have been introduced in basement laundry rooms in a few of the neighborhood's apartment buildings. So far, the backers say, they have been a roaring success: Smart card users don't need piles of quarters any more. Chase says on average 25% of the laundry revenue at the participating buildings comes from smart cards, and in some locations approaches 40%. "Once the card generates some excitement, people won't care that Duane Reade had a problem at some point in time," says Chase spokesman Kenneth Herz. Adds Judy Darr, director of the smart card program at Citibank, "Our commitment to smart cards remains strong." _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

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IP: Borderless World Talks, E-commerce
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Borderless World Talks, E-commerce Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 09:19:12 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com -------------------- NOTE: You will have to go to the website referenced below to read this article. Half of the page is the article in English, the other half in French. -------------------- BORDERLESS WORLD TALKS The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is holding a Borderless World ministerial conference in Ottawa this week, in which reps of the 29 member countries discuss various Internet and e-commerce issues, especially regulation, taxation and privacy. See http://www.oecd.org/dsti/sti/it/ec/news/ottawa.htm ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: Neural Computer to Rival Brain???
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Neural Computer to Rival Brain??? Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 09:15:57 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: The Economist http://www.economist.com/editorial/freeforall/current/index_st4636.html SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Semiconductors - Silicon smarts BRAINS and computers are very different things. Brains consist of a trillion or so tiny elements, called neurons, which are individually dumb but collectively, thanks to the thousand trillion connections between them, very powerful. Most computers, on the other hand, depend on a single, complex component-a microprocessor-to get things done. Even the most advanced supercomputers, with hundreds or even thousands of connected microprocessors, cannot match the compactness or connection density of the human brain. Two new chip-making techniques being developed at Irvine Sensors Corporation (ISC) in Costa Mesa, California, could be significant steps in the long-running effort to make more brain-like computers. Researchers at ISC have found a way to pack silicon chips extremely tightly together and, better still, to make large numbers of connections between them. Their technique layers silicon chips on top of each other, cramming 50 chips into the space normally occupied by just one. This is done by grinding away the underside of the silicon wafer on which the chip circuitry is built-a thick, non-functional platform that can be removed without affecting the chip's operation. The result is a paper-thin but fully functional chip, which can be stacked and bonded with other chips to form a single unit. The chips are wired together via connectors along their edges, and the whole sandwich is embedded in epoxy resin. This space-saving technique is already being used commercially in a four-layer memory chip that packs 128 megabits of data into an amazingly small one-centimetre-square package. Earlier this year, ISC won a $1.3m military contract from Boeing to build a wearable, voice-activated computer the size of a pack of cards. But while such stacking wizardry means computers can be smaller, it does not make them more brain-like. At present, the nearest approximation to a silicon brain involves making electronic circuits that behave like neurons, and connecting them up in small networks. Such "artificial neural networks" can be used for everything from image recognition to credit scoring, but their size and complexity-and so their deductive power-is limited. This is because it is only possible to fit a certain number of silicon neurons on to a single chip; and there is a limit to the number of connections that can be made between adjacent neural chips. Researchers would like to be able to build networks that are larger and more densely connected-in short, more brain-like. ISC's second technology should let them do this, by allowing direct vertical connections to be made anywhere on the adjoining surfaces of adjacent chips in a stack. To achieve this, half of a special component called a three-dimensional field-effect transistor, or 3DFET, is constructed at the site of each connection, as part of the usual chip-making process. When the chips are stacked, the two halves of each 3DFET fit together, allowing signals to pass up and down from one chip to the other. A prototype 3DFET, developed with financing from the US army's ballistic missile defence organisation, has already been made and tested. With new funding, ISC hopes to make a chip-stack connected using 3DFETs within 18 months. After that, says ISC's chief technical officer, John Carson, the long-term goal is to stack 1,000 neural chips in a single cube. This would involve thinning each chip down to less than the thickness of a human hair. Already, ISC has produced a prototype that is almost this thin. If ISC can squeeze a million silicon neurons on to each chip, and pack a thousand chips into a one-inch neural cube, the arithmetic starts to get interesting. A thousand such cubes, which could fit in a shoebox, would contain a trillion neurons, and a hundred trillion connections. That would still not match the connectivity of human grey matter. But it would be the most brain-like computer ever made. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: House Passes Roving Wiretaps, Expanding Federal Surveillance Powers
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: House Passes Roving Wiretaps, Expanding Federal Surveillance Powers Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 09:06:44 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Center for Democracy and Technology http://www.cdt.org/legislation/calea/roving.html House Passes Roving Wiretaps, Expanding Federal Surveillance Powers October 7, 1998 In a closed-door manuever, controversial "roving wiretap" provisions have been added to a major Intelligence authorization bill and passed by the House. Current wiretapping law allows tapping of a particular person's phones. The new provisions would dramatically expand current authority by allowing taps on any phone used by, or "proximate" to, the person being tapped +IBQ- no matter whose phone it is. Such a broad law invites abuse. In the last Congress, the full House of Representatives rejected these provisions after an open and vigorous debate. This week, behind closed doors, a conference committee added the provisions to the important Intelligence Authorization Conference Report, almost certain to pass the Congress. The provisions were not in either the original House or Senate versions of the bill. CDT is particularly concerned that such an expansion of federal authority should take place without a public debate. "Roving Wiretaps" Language added to H.R. 3694, the Intelligence Authorization Conference Report. SEC. 604. WIRE AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS INTERCEPTION REQUIREMENTS. (a) In General. Section 2518(11)(b) of title 18, United States Code, is amended - (1) in clause (ii), by striking ``of a purpose'' and all that follows through the end of such clause and inserting ``that there is probable cause to believe that the person's actions could have the effect of thwarting interception from a specified facility;''; (2) in clause (iii), by striking ``such purpose'' and all that follows through the end of such clause and inserting ``such showing has been adequately made; and''; and (3) by adding at the end the following clause: ``(iv) the order authorizing or approving the interception is limited to interception only for such time as it is reasonable to presume that the person identified in the application is or was reasonably proximate to the instrument through which such communication will be or was transmitted.''. (b) Conforming Amendments.Section 2518(12) of title 18, United States Code, is amended - (1) by inserting ``(a)'' after ``by reason of subsection (11)''; (2) by striking ``the facilities from which, or''; and (3) by striking the comma following ``where''. Other CALEA Issues The Center For Democracy And Technology 1634 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100 Washington, DC 20006 (v) .202.637.9800 (f) .202.637.0968 info(a)cdt.org ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: ISPI Clips 5.25: TRUSTe Brings Privacy Home
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "ama-gi ISPI" <offshore(a)email.msn.com> Subject: IP: ISPI Clips 5.25: TRUSTe Brings Privacy Home Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 00:30:34 -0700 To: <Undisclosed.Recipients(a)majordomo.pobox.com> ISPI Clips 5.25: TRUSTe Brings Privacy Home News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Thursday October 8, 1998 ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This From: WIRED News, October 7, 1998 http://www.wired.com TRUSTe Brings Privacy Home http://www.wired.com/news/news/business/story/15462.html by James Glave, james(a)wired.com 9:05 a.m. 7.Oct.98.PDT The major Web indexing firms have banded together with Web privacy group TRUSTe [ http://www.truste.org/ ] to launch a national advertising campaign aimed at educating consumers about online privacy issues. The campaign, known as Privacy Partnership, will rely on donated banner ads, distributed across the Net. Microsoft, for example, said it will donate 20 million banner impressions, or individual viewings, on its MSN.com service. Microsoft (MSFT) described Privacy Partnership as a "grassroots campaign," but there is nothing small-time about the lineup of Web content and indexing firms involved. Besides Redmond, AOL (AOL), Excite (XCIT), Infoseek (SEEK), Lycos (LCOS), Netscape (NSCP), Snap, and Yahoo (YHOO) are all on board. Lycos is the parent company of Wired Digital, owner of Wired News. The Internet advertisements, explaining the importance of protecting personal data online, will run between 12 and 31 October. All told, the companies will contribute more than 150 million online advertising impressions, worth more than US$3 million, in the form of banners and messages on their Web sites. The campaign is expected to reach about 90 percent of all Internet users in the United States. "Microsoft's commitment to online privacy is related to our ongoing vision of empowering the individual to do more through the PC," said Bob Herbold, Microsoft executive vice president and CEO, in a statement. The publicity push is designed to bring the Internet privacy debate home to middle America. The program will bring consumers into a conversation that has so far been a terse exchange between the Internet industry, which wants to regulate itself, and government, which is threatening to pass consumer-protection laws. "We want to be the first people to ask, 'Why doesn't government work with business and work with consumers?'" said a source with TRUSTe. The Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on the Internet industry for what it claims is a failure to respect personal information relative to consumers. In August, the commission punished GeoCities for allowing personal customer information to fall into untrustworthy hands. The FTC has given the industry until the end of this year to prove that it's serious about protecting consumer privacy. If that doesn't happen, it will recommend congress pass laws to do it for them. A recent survey [ http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/15428.html ] found that more than 40 countries have enacted, or plan to enact, consumer data-protection laws. TRUSTe is leading the charge to stop the United States from doing the same thing. The nonprofit industry group runs a program that awards a TRUSTe seal to Web sites that respect and preserve individual privacy. "The average citizen... [has] no idea they can't participate in self regulation," said the TRUSTe source. "If we don't do these things, then government will fail and self-regulation will fail. "In the privacy arena, what is really critical is that this is all moving really fast. The industry is collecting data faster than anyone can stop them. We want the government to put in the principles so that privacy doesn't become for the information age what the environment was to the industrial age." One Web-privacy advocate agreed, but said that a consumer-education campaign is a distraction that allows the big Internet companies to shirk their responsibilities. "Focusing on 'consumer education' is an attempt to shift responsibility back on the victim, which makes little sense when those people have so little technical and legal power to protect their own interests," said Jason Catlett, president of JunkBusters. "Detroit tried the same PR trick in the '60s, because telling people that they should drive more carefully was cheaper than being required to engineer safer cars and to take responsibility for the numbers of people that were getting killed," Catlett said. "How many more horror stories must we read before consumers will get more than 'You should have chosen better companies' for an answer?" Last week, the accounting firm of Ernst & Young told Wired News that it had signed on as a TRUSTe sponsor, and plans to work closely with the group to establish an e-commerce assurance program. Copyright © 1994-98 Wired Digital Inc. --------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------ ISPI Clips are news & opinion articles on privacy issues from all points of view; they are clipped from local, national and international newspapers, journals and magazines, etc. Inclusion as an ISPI Clip does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the content or opinion by ISPI. In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISPI Clips is a FREE e-mail service from the "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" (ISPI). To receive "ISPI Clips" on a regular bases (up to 3 - 8 clips per day) send the following message "Please enter [Your Name] into the ISPI Clips list: [Your e-mail address]" to: ISPIClips(a)ama-gi.com . The Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) is a small contributor-funded organization based in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). ISPI operates on a not-for-profit basis, accepts no government funding and takes a global perspective. ISPI's mandate is to conduct & promote interdisciplinary research into electronic, personal and financial privacy with a view toward helping ordinary people understand the degree of privacy they have with respect to government, industry and each other and to likewise inform them about techniques to enhance their privacy. But, none of this can be accomplished without your kind and generous financial support. If you value in the ISPI Clips service or if you are concerned about the erosion of your privacy in general, won't you please help us continue this important work by becoming an "ISPI Clips Supporter" or by taking out an institute Membership? We gratefully accept all contributions: Less than $60 ISPI Clips Supporter $60 - $99 Primary ISPI Membership (1 year) $100 - $300 Senior ISPI Membership (2 years) More than $300 Executive Council Membership (life) Your ISPI "membership" contribution entitles you to receive "The ISPI Privacy Reporter" (our bi-monthly 12 page hard-copy newsletter in multi-contributor format) for the duration of your membership. For a contribution form with postal instructions please send the following message "ISPI Contribution Form" to ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com . We maintain a strict privacy policy. Any information you divulge to ISPI is kept in strict confidence. It will not be sold, lent or given away to any third party. ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: ISPI Clips 5.26: Coalition Announces Intiative for Online Privacy
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "ama-gi ISPI" <offshore(a)email.msn.com> Subject: IP: ISPI Clips 5.26: Coalition Announces Intiative for Online Privacy Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 00:32:02 -0700 To: <Undisclosed.Recipients(a)majordomo.pobox.com> ISPI Clips 5.26: Coalition Announces Initiative for Online Privacy News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Thursday October 8, 1998 ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This From: The New York Times (Cybertimes), October 7, 1998 http://www.nytimes.com Coalition Announces Initiative for Online Privacy http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/10/cyber/articles/07privacy.html By JERI CLAUSING, jeri(a)nytimes.com ASHINGTON -- A coalition of major Internet companies on Wednesday unveiled a sweeping online advertising campaign to teach consumers and Web sites operators how to protect personal privacy on the Internet. The initiative, which is being launched with the equivalent of $4 million in Internet advertising banner commitments, was described as a huge grassroots consumer education program that is expected to reach 9 of every 10 Internet users. Called the Privacy Partnership [ http://www.truste.org/partners/ ], the campaign was started by TrustE [ http://www.truste.org/ ], an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to building trust in the Internet, and eight major Internet gateways, including America Online, Yahoo!, Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, Microsoft, Netscape and Snap. A number of other companies have since joined, and any Web site operator can download a banner ad that has links to a privacy Web site. "The Internet is medium for communications and commerce, but users' anxiety and uncertainty about sharing personal information are preventing people from taking advantage of the Internet's full potential, " said Susan Scott, executive director of TrustE." The announcement comes at a time when companies are working to prove to federal lawmakers and regulators that they can establish an effective a voluntary framework to control the use of personal information collected online. Many of the companies involved in the new partnership are also members of the Online Privacy Alliance, which has drafted guidelines http://www.privacyalliance.org/ ] and an enforcement plan for companies to follow when collecting personal information from consumers on the Internet. The Clinton Administration, which has taken a hands-off approach to Internet regulation, supports self-regulation of privacy policies. But the Federal Trade Commission, which earlier this year released a survey of that painted a dismal picture of the state of privacy protections online, has recommended that Congress pass a bill to protect children from online marketers, and that protections be extended to all consumers if self-regulation has not made significant progress by January. On Tuesday, groups pushing for strong privacy laws released a study showing that nearly all industrialized countries have either adopted or are in the process of adopting comprehensive privacy laws. The report by the Global Internet Liberty Campaign, an international coalition of civil rights groups [ http://www.gilc.org/ ], found that countries are adopting these laws in many cases to address past governmental abuses, such as in former Eastern Bloc countries; to promote electronic commerce, or to ensure compatibility with international standards developed by the European Union, the Council of Europe, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. "This report shows that there is substantial international support for privacy protection," said David Banisar, policy director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington, D.C., and one of the authors of the report. His co-author, Simon Davies, director general of Privacy International, said, "The United States risks isolating itself from worldwide electronic commerce with its opposition to adequate and enforceable privacy rights." On Oct. 25, an European Union directive takes effect that is expected to toughen national laws of 15 European governments whose privacy standards are already more stringent than those of the United. The European laws require that corporations get people's permission before collecting demographic or marketing information about them. Without strong national standards in the United States, Banisar said many companies may find themselves unable to engage in electronic commerce in Europe. Clinton Administration officials, however, have for months been working with the European Union trying to convince European officials that the standards voluntarily being enacted by American companies are sufficient. And President Clinton's top Internet adviser, Ira C. Magaziner, insists current efforts by industry will be acceptable. "Things are moving along well now with self-regulation," Magaziner said Tuesday. "We still need to see fully implemented results, but I think those who advocate legislation assume that just as soon as you pass a law everything is fine. Laws still have to be implemented and enforced. And we question the effectiveness of enforcement of some of those laws. If self-regulation works as we are hoping and expect, it will still be the most effective way." The Privacy Partnership advertising blitz begins Oct. 12 and will run through Oct. 31. The campaign will use banner ads with links to a welcome message from the Privacy Partnership. That message has two links. One takes people to a TrustE site with information about how consumers can protect their privacy online. The other will allow Web site operators to join the Privacy Partnership by downloading the campaign's banner ads. It will also provide Web site operators with more information on privacy principles and tools to generate a privacy statement. "For trust to be engendered on the Internet, companies must clearly state what personal information they are collecting, how the information will be used, and the choices available to the individual regarding the collection, use and distribution of that information," Scott said. "If we can alleviate consumer anxiety about what happens to their data. Then everybody will do well." Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company --------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------ ISPI Clips are news & opinion articles on privacy issues from all points of view; they are clipped from local, national and international newspapers, journals and magazines, etc. Inclusion as an ISPI Clip does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the content or opinion by ISPI. In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISPI Clips is a FREE e-mail service from the "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" (ISPI). To receive "ISPI Clips" on a regular bases (up to 3 - 8 clips per day) send the following message "Please enter [Your Name] into the ISPI Clips list: [Your e-mail address]" to: ISPIClips(a)ama-gi.com . The Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) is a small contributor-funded organization based in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). ISPI operates on a not-for-profit basis, accepts no government funding and takes a global perspective. ISPI's mandate is to conduct & promote interdisciplinary research into electronic, personal and financial privacy with a view toward helping ordinary people understand the degree of privacy they have with respect to government, industry and each other and to likewise inform them about techniques to enhance their privacy. But, none of this can be accomplished without your kind and generous financial support. If you value in the ISPI Clips service or if you are concerned about the erosion of your privacy in general, won't you please help us continue this important work by becoming an "ISPI Clips Supporter" or by taking out an institute Membership? We gratefully accept all contributions: Less than $60 ISPI Clips Supporter $60 - $99 Primary ISPI Membership (1 year) $100 - $300 Senior ISPI Membership (2 years) More than $300 Executive Council Membership (life) Your ISPI "membership" contribution entitles you to receive "The ISPI Privacy Reporter" (our bi-monthly 12 page hard-copy newsletter in multi-contributor format) for the duration of your membership. For a contribution form with postal instructions please send the following message "ISPI Contribution Form" to ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com . We maintain a strict privacy policy. Any information you divulge to ISPI is kept in strict confidence. It will not be sold, lent or given away to any third party. ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: ISPI Clips 5.24: Privacy Campaign Plods Ahead
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "ama-gi ISPI" <offshore(a)email.msn.com> Subject: IP: ISPI Clips 5.24: Privacy Campaign Plods Ahead Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1998 00:29:48 -0700 To: <Undisclosed.Recipients(a)majordomo.pobox.com> ISPI Clips 5.24: Privacy Campaign Plods Ahead News & Info from the Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) Thursday October 8, 1998 ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This From: WIRED News, Wednesday October 7, 1998 http://www.wired.com Privacy Campaign Plods Ahead http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/15467.html By Niall McKay, niall(a)wired.com In the wake of a costly ad campaign designed to raise consumer awareness about the cryptography debate in Washington, a coalition of Internet industry companies, privacy activists, and elected officials will turn to letter writing. The Americans for Computer Privacy [ http://www.computerprivacy.org/ ] said Wednesday that the group will send a barrage of missives to the government. One letter will target every member of Congress and stress the need to build on recent government policy relaxing encryption restrictions with "solid legislation." The group will also call on Vice President Al Gore "to make sure that the good fight to protect American privacy is regulated." Americans for Computer Privacy has been waging a public campaign to educate consumers about the complex crypto issue, in an effort to get grassroots support behind their drive to liberalize the federal government's encryption policy. In July, the group launched a TV and Internet advertising campaign designed to educate consumers about the need for privacy. The campaign was created by the public-policy advertising firm Goddard-Claussen, best known for its "Harry & Louise" commercials. That high-profile series featured a yuppie couple and aimed to undercut the Clinton administration's health-care reform initiative. The current campaign by the Americans for Computer Privacy is reportedly being closely watched by the FBI and other intelligence agencies. At this point, it is unclear to what degree the campaign has altered the course of legislation. In its latest lobbying effort, the group will urge both the White House and Congress to reconsider legislation that would ease export restrictions on strong encryption and ban the imposition of mandatory key-recovery features in software sold in the United States. The legislation in question includes such bills as the "E-Privacy Act" (S. 2067), the "Security and Freedom Through Encryption Act" (SAFE, HR 695), and "The Secure Public Networks Act" (S. 909). The letters are backed by an unusual alliance of Republican and Democrats including members of congress Bob Goodlatte, (R-Virginia), Rick White (R-Washington), Zoe Lofgren (D-California) and Samuel Gejdenson (D-Connecticut), as well as Senators John Ashcroft (R-Missouri), Conrad Burns (R-Montana), and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon). Copyright © 1994-98 Wired Digital Inc. --------------------------------NOTICE:------------------------------ ISPI Clips are news & opinion articles on privacy issues from all points of view; they are clipped from local, national and international newspapers, journals and magazines, etc. Inclusion as an ISPI Clip does not necessarily reflect an endorsement of the content or opinion by ISPI. In compliance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed free without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ISPI Clips is a FREE e-mail service from the "Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues" (ISPI). To receive "ISPI Clips" on a regular bases (up to 3 - 8 clips per day) send the following message "Please enter [Your Name] into the ISPI Clips list: [Your e-mail address]" to: ISPIClips(a)ama-gi.com . The Institute for the Study of Privacy Issues (ISPI) is a small contributor-funded organization based in Victoria, British Columbia (Canada). ISPI operates on a not-for-profit basis, accepts no government funding and takes a global perspective. ISPI's mandate is to conduct & promote interdisciplinary research into electronic, personal and financial privacy with a view toward helping ordinary people understand the degree of privacy they have with respect to government, industry and each other and to likewise inform them about techniques to enhance their privacy. But, none of this can be accomplished without your kind and generous financial support. If you value in the ISPI Clips service or if you are concerned about the erosion of your privacy in general, won't you please help us continue this important work by becoming an "ISPI Clips Supporter" or by taking out an institute Membership? We gratefully accept all contributions: Less than $60 ISPI Clips Supporter $60 - $99 Primary ISPI Membership (1 year) $100 - $300 Senior ISPI Membership (2 years) More than $300 Executive Council Membership (life) Your ISPI "membership" contribution entitles you to receive "The ISPI Privacy Reporter" (our bi-monthly 12 page hard-copy newsletter in multi-contributor format) for the duration of your membership. For a contribution form with postal instructions please send the following message "ISPI Contribution Form" to ISPI4Privacy(a)ama-gi.com . We maintain a strict privacy policy. Any information you divulge to ISPI is kept in strict confidence. It will not be sold, lent or given away to any third party. ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: Cashless CompuBank Launches Today Nationwide
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: Cashless CompuBank Launches Today Nationwide Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 09:13:01 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com VIRTUAL BANK CompuBank, the first virtual US bank to receive a charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and approval from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, launches today in all US states. It has no physical branches. As well as the usual bank services, features include real-time access to accounts 24 hours a day, viewable transaction history for the last year, and online wire transfers. See http://www.compubank.com ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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IP: White House Accused of Data Theft
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: White House Accused of Data Theft Date: Thu, 08 Oct 1998 10:12:25 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Washington Post http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19981007/V000584-100798-idx.ht… White House Accused of Data Theft By John Solomon Associated Press Writer Wednesday, October 7, 1998; 7:42 p.m. EDT WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Republican-led House subcommittee accused President Clinton and the White House of ``theft of government property'' Wednesday in transferring data to the Democratic Party for fund-raising purposes. Seeking to gain the attention of impeachment investigators, a stinging report written by Republican congressional staffers detailed evidence they contend conflicts with some of the White House's earlier assertions about the use of a $1.7 million taxpayer-financed database created inside the executive mansion. ``The committee issues this report to expose the evidence of the president's possible involvement in the theft of government property and his abuse of power,'' said the report by the investigative subcommittee of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. The report cites testimony from top Democratic fund-raisers who acknowledged they got names and addresses from the White House database on a regular basis and used them to solicit donations or plan White House events for donors. ``Richard Sullivan, the DNC finance director, himself testified that he obtained lists of attendance at White House CEO lunches and the White House Economic Conference and that he used those lists to raise money,'' the report states. Originally, presidential aides insisted White House staff and the database were used only for official purposes and none of it was misused for fund raising. Federal law prohibits the use of government resources for fund raising or other political or private purposes. Those who misuse such resources can be charged with stealing government resources. White House officials said Wednesday the DNC was only authorized to use its data for invitation lists, and if information was used for anything else that was inappropriate. ``This White House, like the Bush and Reagan White House, keeps names and addresses of our supporters, and tries to ensure that they are included in White House events,'' spokesman Barry Toiv said. Toiv charged the subcommittee report was ``irresponsible and deceptive and highly partisan'' and excluded ``information that contradicts'' its allegations. The report directly accused Clinton of knowing about and instigating the misuse of federal resources for political purposes. Among the examples it cited were internal White House documents indicating that the president instructed that information he obtained from official White House e-mail or other sources be sent to his political campaign. ``Quite frequently the president will ask that certain names and addresses be added to the supporter file. ... Attached is a list of supporter file information,'' a 1994 White House memo said, asking that the information be forwarded to a separate campaign database Clinton instructed be built in Arkansas. White House officials said there was nothing wrong with Clinton forwarding to his campaign, for example, business cards he had received at the White House and said there was no evidence he sent wholesale portions of government data. The report also cites a document showing Clinton authorized a job description for a top aide, Marsha Scott, that included a responsibility for ``insuring ... supporters were involved in fund-raising activities'' such as the controversial White House coffees. Presidential aides defended Scott's job description, noting political appointees aren't forbidden by law from doing political work provided they don't solicit donations. The subcommittee also referred White House deputy counsel Cheryl Mills to the Justice Department for criminal investigation, alleging that in 1996 she located two subpoenaed documents suggesting that Clinton and his wife, Hillary, sanctioned the use of the White House database for political purposes but withheld them from the committee for months -- until after the 1996 election. It also accused her of lying about aspects of the database to the committee. Ms. Mills has said she did not believe the documents were responsive to the subpoena when she first reviewed them and sought the advice of her superiors who agreed. She denies any effort to mislead investigators. And the top Democrat on the Government Reform committee wrote the Justice Department saying he disagreed with the GOP referral, saying Ms. Mills may have made a mistake but there was no evidence of willful obstruction. The release of the report is part of a broader effort by Republicans in Congress to make public information that they think should be considered in the impeachment inquiry the House is set to approve Thursday. Rep. David McIntosh, R-Ind., said Wednesday it was ``premature'' to predict whether his findings would be incorporated into the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment investigation on the president's relationship with Monica Lewinsky. ``This isn't about sex. This is about abusing his official privilege for personal and political gain,'' McIntosh said. The inquiry into the database, which contained the names of individuals who have contact with the White House or president, has been conducted over the last two years without the same fanfare of higher profile investigations of Ms. Lewinsky, Whitewater, FBI files and the White House travel office firings. Nonetheless, the investigators said they found White House documents with official government data -- including holiday card lists -- at the DNC and the Clinton campaign. White House officials said some of the list were accidentally sent by vendors. © Copyright 1998 The Associated Press ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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