Computer Privacy Digest Mon, 15 Nov 93

 


Computer Privacy Digest Mon, 15 Nov 93              Volume 3 : Issue: 074


Today's Topics: Moderator: Dennis G. Rears


                    Re: threads in comp.dcom.telecom

                           Re: Privacy Source

                           Re: Privacy Source

                                LaNUGUMS

                 Re: California Driver License and SSN

                 Re: California Driver License and SSN

             FBI Operation "Root Canal" Documents Revealed

                          Re: Finding someone

                 Re: California Driver License and SSN

                           Graduate Programs

                     Re: Finding someone -- FOUND!


   The Computer Privacy Digest is a forum for discussion on the

  effect of technology on privacy.  The digest is moderated and

  gatewayed into the USENET newsgroup comp.society.privacy

  (Moderated).  Submissions should be sent to

  comp-privacy@pica.army.mil and administrative requests to

  comp-privacy-request@pica.army.mil.

   Back issues are available via anonymous ftp on ftp.pica.army.mil

  [129.139.160.133].

----------------------------------------------------------------------


From: Carl Oppedahl <oppedahl@panix.com>

Subject: Re: threads in comp.dcom.telecom

Date: 12 Nov 1993 12:48:49 -0500

Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <comp-privacy3.73.8@pica.army.mil> Kelly Bert Manning <ua602%freenet.victoria.bc.ca@PICA.ARMY.MIL> writes:


>Near the beginning of the Digital Detective thread it was pointed out

>that DD is the moderator of the comp.dcom.telecom news group, and that

>his intent was perhaps to provoke discussion and to increase awareness

>of the availability of this information.


>I decided to follow up on these comments from the moderator by reading

>what the comp.dcom.telecom moderator posted and the remarks he added.

[helpful summaries omitted]


Thank you for these summaries.  I'm sure they benefit people who did not

see the other discussions, but they also benefited me (even though I had

seen them) because your summaries reminded me of some things I had read

but forgotten.




-- 

Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (patent lawyer)

1992 Commerce Street #309

Yorktown Heights, NY  10598-4412

voice 212-777-1330  


------------------------------


From: Carl Oppedahl <oppedahl@panix.com>

Subject: Re: Privacy Source

Date: 12 Nov 1993 12:49:48 -0500

Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


In <comp-privacy3.73.7@pica.army.mil> Robert Ellis Smith <0005101719@mcimail.com> writes:


>Both Vaclav Matyas of Carleton University and Alizade of University of Toronto

>asked about sources of information about technology and privacy. 


>PRIVACY JOURNAL has been the authoritative publication in the field since 1974. 

>We will send a sample copy of our monthly newsletter to anyone who requests it,

>as well as descriptions of the books and special reports we publish on privacy. 

>Ask for our s pecial discount on subscriptions for users of the net.  Books and

>subscriptions may be ordered by e-mail with a credit card number. 


>Robert Ellis Smith, Publisher, Privacy Journal, PO Box 28577, Providence RI

>02908, 401/274-7861; MCI mail: rsmith, 510-1719. 


I have subscribed for many years.  It is a very important journal -- a

must-read for those who care about privacy.




-- 

Carl Oppedahl AA2KW  (patent lawyer)

1992 Commerce Street #309

Yorktown Heights, NY  10598-4412

voice 212-777-1330  


------------------------------


From: Laine Stump <astump@magnus.ohio-state.edu>

Subject: Re: Privacy Source

Date: Sun, 14 Nov 1993 03:49:44

Organization: Youngstown State/Youngstown Free-Net


In article <comp-privacy3.73.7@pica.army.mil> Robert Ellis Smith <0005101719@mcimail.com> writes:


>PRIVACY JOURNAL has been the authoritative publication in the field since 1974. 

> [etc.]


>Ask for our s pecial discount on subscriptions for users of the net.  Books 

>and subscriptions may be ordered by e-mail with a credit card number. 


Maybe I'm paranoid, or misinformed, but it seems to me that anybody

worrying about their privacy would think at least twice before sending

their credit card number over a communication medium as insecure as

Internet email. It is a trivial task for anybody at a router along the

message's path to write a snooper program that will grab all SMTP

(Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) packets and paste them together into

complete messages. Of course you could argue that sheer volume would

lower the chances of discovery to almost nil, but...


I would never send my credit card number to anyone via email unless that 

person had PGP (or similar software) and a public key for me to use. Is this 

really something that an "authoritative publication" on the subject of 

privacy should be suggesting its prospective readers to do? (Ah, but I guess 

he didn't say "security", did he?


Laine Stump

laine@ctp.bilkent.edu.tr


------------------------------


Date: Fri, 12 Nov 1993 13:45:49 -0500 (CDT)

From: FLIB1191@vega.selu.edu

Subject: LaNUGUMS

Organization: Southeastern Louisiana University



Let me congratulate all of you who worked hard to assure that the LANUGUMS

meeting yesterday was such a success. I know it was a success because it

was mentioned several times at the grand opening of ELMO, Nicholls' OPAC.

It was also suggested that since Southeastern did such a good job, and had

such good facilities, that we host all future meeting of LANUGUMS.  I told

all who asked that we did enjoy hosting the meeting, but we did'nt want to

be greedy, and deprive some others .


Again, thanks to all of you who worked on the meeting project.

L. Greaves


------------------------------


From: Kelly Hoffman <kelly@nashua.hp.com>

Subject: Re: California Driver License and SSN

Date: 12 Nov 1993 20:17:27 GMT

Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Network Test Division, Nashua, NH

Distribution: world


In article <comp-privacy3.69.1@pica.army.mil> Dave Gomberg <GOMBERG%UCSFVM.BITNET@cmsa.berkeley.edu> writes:

> So CA has a right to

> insist you identify yourself in a way that allows it to determine that

> you are not on any bad guys lists (which themselves are indexed by SSN).

> So you can give your SSN or you can refuse to avail yourself of the

> privledge of driving.   Dave


Let's accept this premise for a moment.  Does California put

the SSN on the license itself?  If yes, why is it necessary

to do so when all they want to do is check the "bad buys list"?


(If CA only asks for the SSN on the application and doesn't

actually put it on the license, then, well, never mind. :-)


kkh

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kelly K. Hoffman                            kelly@nashua.hp.com

Learning Products Engineer                   

Hewlett-Packard, Network Test Division      "Reading the manual is 

One Tara Blvd., Nashua, NH 03062               admitting defeat."


------------------------------


Date: Sun, 14 Nov 93 20:00:18 -0500

From: Bob Sherman <bsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu>

Subject: Re: California Driver License and SSN

Date: 14 Nov 1993 20:00:15 -0500

Organization: Not much!


In <comp-privacy3.73.9@pica.army.mil> Richard Roda <rerodd@eos.ncsu.edu> writes:


>That's really neat.  Does this mean that if I don't avail myself of the

>"privilidge" of driving, that I don't have to pay any taxes that go to

>support the highway system?  Bzzz!  If the highway system were supported by

>user fees, I would agree with this logic.  But, since it is supported from

>my income taxes, I am paying for the road, but don't get to use the road I

>pay for because it is a Privilidge(TM).


Errrr, excuse me, but there are many ways for you to use the roads your

taxes pay for without needing a drivers license. You can for example ride

a bike, use public transportation, take a taxi, ride as a passenger in

a car while someone else does the driving, run, jog, walk etc.. All of the

above are better done on a paved roadway than through the woods..


By the way, if you own property, you'll also pay school taxes, even if

you have no children in the schools. Is that any different???




-- 

   bsherman@mthvax.cs.miami.edu |                         | MCI MAIL:BSHERMAN 

   an764@cleveland.freenet.edu  |                         | 


------------------------------


Date: Sat, 13 Nov 1993 08:41:08 -0500

From: Dave Banisar <banisar@washofc.cpsr.org>

Subject: FBI Operation "Root Canal" Documents Revealed


(from the CPSR Alert 2.05)


In response to a CPSR Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the FBI this

week released 185 pages of documents concerning the Bureau's Digital

Telephony Initiative,  code-named Operation "Root Canal." The newly

disclosed material raises serious doubts as to the accuracy of the

FBI's claim that advances in telecommunications technology have

hampered law enforcement efforts to execute court-authorized wiretaps.


The FBI documents reveal that the Bureau initiated a well- orchestrated

public relations campaign in support of "proposed legislation to compel

telecommunications industry cooperation in assuring our digital

telephony intercept requirements are met."  A May 26, 1992, memorandum

from the Director of the FBI to the Attorney General lays out a

"strategy ... for gaining support for the bill once it reaches

Congress," including the following:


     "Each FBI Special Agent in Charge's contacting key law

     enforcement and prosecutorial officials in his/her territory

     to stress the urgency of Congress's being sensitized to this

     critical issue;


     Field Office media representatives educating their contacts

     by explaining and documenting, in both local and national

     dimensions, the crisis facing law enforcement and the need

     for legislation; and


     Gaining the support of the professional associations

     representing law enforcement and prosecutors."


However, despite efforts to obtain documentation from the field in

support of Bureau claims of a "crisis facing law enforcement," the

response from FBI Field Offices was that they experienced *no*

difficulty in conducting electronic surveillance.  For example, a

December 3, 1992, memorandum from Newark reported the following:


     The Newark office of the Drug Enforcement Administration

     "advised that as of this date, the DEA has not had any

     technical problems with advanced telephone technology."


     The New Jersey Attorney General's Office "has not experienced

     any problems with the telephone company since the last

     contact."


     An agent from the Newark office of the Internal Revenue

     Service "advised that since the last time he was contacted,

     his unit has not had any problems with advanced telephony

     matters."


     An official of the New Jersey State Police "advised that

     as of this date he has had no problems with the present

     technology hindering his investigations."


Likewise, a memorandum from the Philadelphia Field Office reported that

the local offices of the IRS, Customs Service and the Secret Service

were contacted and "experienced no difficulties with new technologies."

Indeed, the newly-released documents contain no reports of *any*

technical problems in the field.


The documents also reveal the FBI's critical role in the development of

the Digital Signature Standard (DSS), a cryptographic means of

authenticating electronic communications that the National Institute of

Standards and Technology was expected to develop.  The DSS was proposed

in August 1991 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

NIST later acknowledged that the National Security Agency developed the

standard.  The newly disclosed documents appear to confirm speculation

that the  FBI and the NSA worked to undermine the legal authority of

the NIST to develop standards for the nation's communications

infrastructure.


CPSR intends to pursue further FOIA litigation to establish the extent

of the FBI involvement in the development of the DSS and also to obtain

a "cost-benefit" study discussed in one of the FBI Director's memos and

other documents the Bureau continues to withhold.


----


To subscribe to the Alert, send the message:


"subscribe cpsr <your name>" (without quotes or brackets)

to listserv@gwuvm.gwu.edu.  Back issues of the Alert are available at

the CPSR Internet Library FTP/WAIS/Gopher cpsr.org /cpsr/alert


Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is a national,

non-partisan, public-interest organization dedicated to understanding

and directing the impact of computers on society. Founded in 1981, CPSR

has 2000 members from all over the world and 22 chapters across the

country. Our National Advisory Board includes a Nobel laureate and

three winners of the Turing Award, the highest honor in computer

science. Membership is open to everyone.


For more information, please contact: cpsr@cpsr.org or visit the CPSR

discussion conferences on The Well (well.sf.ca.us) or Mindvox

(phantom.com).




------------------------------


From: Bill Kisse <kisse@clark.net>

Newsgroups: alt.privacy,comp.society.privacy,misc.legal

Subject: Re: Finding someone

Followup-To: alt.privacy,comp.society.privacy,misc.legal

Date: 13 Nov 1993 17:51:50 GMT

Organization: Clark Internet Services, Inc., Ellicott City, MD USA


'Database America' publishes CD-ROMS that allow you to find EVERY person 

in the U.S. who has a telephone in their name (of course this excludes 

non-listed phones).


It's available for $99.95.


I purchased mine at a local computer store.


If you can't find it, E-Mail me and I'll get the phone number of the firm 

that produces it.


Regards.


--


Bill Kisse............................................Video Labs Corporation

1+ (301) 217-0000........................................15237 Display Court

1+ (301) 217-0044 (Fax).............................Rockville, MD  USA 20850


------------------------------


Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1993 11:29:30 -0500

From: Bob Goudreau <goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com>

Subject: Re: California Driver License and SSN


Richard Roda <rerodd@eos.ncsu.edu> writes:

>

>>privledge of driving.   Dave

>

>That's really neat.  Does this mean that if I don't avail myself of the

>"privilidge" of driving, that I don't have to pay any taxes that go to

>support the highway system?  Bzzz!  If the highway system were supported by

>user fees, I would agree with this logic.  But, since it is supported from

>my income taxes, I am paying for the road, but don't get to use the road I

>pay for because it is a Privilidge(TM).


Actually, most highway systems in the US *are* primarily supported

by "user fees" (in the form of federal and state fuel taxes), *not*

by income taxes.  There are even some exemptions from those taxes

available for non-road fuel uses, such as heating oil or for fuel

that the user guarantees will only be used in farm equipment.


And BTW, if you're going to flame his spelling, at least get it

right yourself!  It's "privilege".


 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation

goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive

+1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA


------------------------------


From: "Joseph Reagle Jr." <jreagl1@gl.umbc.edu>

Subject: Graduate Programs

Date: 15 Nov 1993 15:40:30 -0500

Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County


Can anyone recommend a graduate program that deals with the

social/legal/economic issues of future computer technology and it's

security issues?  (Growth of Internet, is it secure though?.... etc.)

Kind of along the lines of what the EFF is concerned with.



-- 

Regards,

Joseph M. Reagle Jr.   | ST:  What's a self-locking stemp-bolt for?

reagle@umbc.edu        | SNL: You put your weed in there man.

jreagl1@umbc8.umbc.edu |


------------------------------


From: Rajiv A Manglani <rajiv@athena.mit.edu>

Subject: Re: Finding someone -- FOUND!

Date: 15 Nov 1993 17:38:51 GMT

Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology



Just wanted to thank everyone on this group who gave me suggestions...


I have found the person that I was looking for. 



Rajiv



--


 -------------------------------------------------------------------------


Me:     Rajiv A. Manglani               rajiv@mit.edu


        La Maison Francaise             Brilliant Image

        476 Memorial Drive              Seven Penn Plaza

        Cambridge, MA 02139-4319        New York, NY 10001

        617. 225. 7690                  800. 727. 3278 x200


 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

       Stuyvesant High School Alumni EMail Address List Maintainer

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------



End of Computer Privacy Digest V3 #074

******************************



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