Newsgroups: alt.poltics.org.nsa,alt.politics.datahighway,comp.org.eff.talk In SIGNAL July 1994, on page 88 there is an ad for the Ninth Mid-Altantic Intelligence Symposium, 20-21 September at the Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Jopkins University, Laurel, Maryland. The title is 'Security Issues of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) Initiative'. In fine print "Co-sponsored by AFCEA Central Maryland Chapter and The National Security Agency". "The program will begin by outlining in detail the vision of the NII." [Who's vision?] "..followed by a series of presentations addressing the security infrastructure and its relationship to privacy law and policy, requirements for security, and available technology in the marketplace." [CAPSTONE, and why requiring it isn't forbidden by the Constitution.] "The finale will offer a detailed and informative examination of emerging federal programs and how industry is participating." "U.S.Citizens Only. Classified SECRET" ----- Who the hell co-opted NII for National Security? Every discussion to date (at least on the internet) has shown no link to National Security, which should be the only way NSA is involved. (ref the Computer Security Act of 1987 assigning NIST responsibility for development and promulgation of cost-effective computer security standards and guidelines for the federal unclassified systems community, and their letter of agreement with NSA.) Is our friendly TLA breaking CSA 1987 or has Congress been sold a bill of goods? (This is analagous to making the phone system a matter of National Security, something more in tune with an Evil Empire.) One wonders if this implies Escrow Encryption Standard compliant cryptographic hardware before one is allowed to participate in what is being billed as a public accessible service?