========================================================================= ________________ _______________ _______________ /_______________/\ /_______________\ /\______________\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \ ||||||||||||||||| / //////////////// \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/ ||||||||||||||||| / //////////////// \\\\\\_______/\ ||||||_______\ / //////_____\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\ \ |||||||||||||| / ///////////// \\\\\\\\\\\\\/____ |||||||||||||| / ///////////// \\\\\___________/\ ||||| / //// \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \ ||||| / //// \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/ ||||| \//// ========================================================================= EFFector Online Volume 07 No. 14 November 23, 1994 editors@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In This Issue: EFF Urges X9 Committee to Adopt Triple-DES Standard Aerosmith & EFF Rock the Net Statement of Rep. Brown on Encryption Standards and Procedures Act DoC Telecom & Info Infrastructure Assistance Program Grants Digital Library Study - Call for Participation FCC Crackdown on Free Radio Berkeley Calendar of Events What YOU Can Do ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: EFF Urges X9 Committee to Adopt Triple-DES Standard ------------------------------------------------------------ EFF sent a letter to 37 members of the Accredited Standards Committee (ASC) X9 urging the committee to vote to develop a standard for data encryption based on triple-DES, a strengthened and upgraded form of the popular DES (data encryption standard). The balloting process, which allows members one month to cast their vote, closes on November 19. The vote has important implications on the future of cryptographic standards and US cryptography policy generally. The banking and financial services industries are major users of cryptography, and applications developed for this community tend to drive the market. As a result, the adoption of a standard based on triple-DES would pose a major setback to the NSA's efforts to push Clipper or similar government key-escrow based standards. The NSA, which is a voting member of the X9 committee, has urged members to vote against the triple-DES standard. The ASC X9 committee is charged with setting data security standards for the US banking and financial services industries. Its membership is comprised of representatives from the banking, financial services, computer and communications industries, software manufacturers, and government, including the NSA, the Federal Reserve, and NIST. * BACKGROUND Encryption is widely used by banks and other financial institutions to protect the billions of dollars in transfers and other transactions which flow every day across the world's communications networks. Currently, the prevailing encryption standard used in the banking industry is based on DES (Data Encryption Standard). DES has been available since the early 1970's, and is popular because it has been repeatedly tested and is considered unbreakable except by brute force (trying every possible key). DES is also popular because the US government has allowed banks and financial institutions to use it overseas -- a limited but important exception to the strong controls placed on other forms of cryptography. Despite its enormous popularity and widespread use, the banking and financial services industries are searching for a new standard because DES is reaching the end of its useful life. Although DES can only be cracked through brute force, the increasing speed and sophistication of computer processing power will soon render the standard insecure. At a recent cryptography conference, experts demonstrated that DES codes can be cracked in as little as three hours using a machine which cost less than $1 million to build. Triple-DES, a strengthened version of the reliable and trusted DES standard, is the alternative favored by the banking and financial services industries. In basic terms, the triple-DES standard is based on the existing DES, but has been enhanced by tripling the key length. The longer key will make it more difficult to use brute force to crack the code. Supporters of triple-DES view it as a temporary, stop-gap solution, which will provide additional security until a suitable alternative can be developed. Moreover, because triple-DES is based on an existing standard that virtually all users are familiar with, it is argued that developing and using triple-DES will not be a burden to current designers and users of data security systems. * NSA ATTEMPTS TO PUSH X9 TO ADOPT CLIPPER STANDARD Members of the X9 committee agree that an alternative to DES must be found, the question is what that standard will be. The committee is currently considering a recommendation to develop a standard based on triple-DES. Although there appears to be general support for the recommendation (it passed an X9 subcommittee on a vote of 13 to 2, with 3 abstentions, in July), the NSA has lobbied the committee to reject the proposal to create a triple-DES standard. They have circulated a letter to committee members (attached below) urging them to vote against the triple-DES recommendation. Without offering specific alternatives, the NSA letter stresses national security, attempts to discredit the strength of triple-DES, and questions its exportability. The NSA appears to believe that the rejection of triple-DES by the X9 committee would create an opportunity to push for the only current alternative -- Clipper. By agreeing to develop a triple-DES based standard, the X9 committee can simultaneously establish a workable transitional measure and send a strong repudiation of the Clipper proposal and government designed cryptographic standards. Moreover, such a vote would pose a major setback to the NSA's efforts to ensure that all cryptography contains government-escrowed back doors. The final balloting closes on Saturday, November 19. EFF is tracking the committee vote, and will update this story as soon as further information is available. * EFF LETTER TO X9 COMMITTEE MEMBERS November 18, 1994 Dear Accredited Standards Committee-X9 Member: The X9 Committee is currently voting as to whether to recommend the development of a standard for triple-DES (ballot number X9/94-LB#28). The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) strongly urges you to vote in favor of the triple-DES standard. EFF supports the development of a variety of new data security standards and alternatives to DES. We believe the triple-DES standard provides the best immediate short term alternative because: * The basic algorithm, DES, is strong and has been tested repeatedly. * There are no known attacks that succeed against triple-DES. * It is clearly no less secure than DES. * It eliminates the brute-force problem completely by tripling the key length. * It runs at high speeds in easy-to-build chips. * It can be easily incorporated into existing systems. NSA's opposition to triple-DES appears to be an indirect attempt to push Clipper by eliminating credible alternatives. Clipper is not a viable alternative to triple-DES, and carries substantial liabilities. There has been no evidence of foreign acceptance of the standard and the skipjack algorithm is classified. The likelihood of any government accepting secret standards developed by a foreign security agency is slim. Clinton Administration efforts, through the NSA, to push Clipper as a domestic standard over the past two years have failed. We urge you to carefully consider the alternatives before you cast your ballot. We believe that the triple-DES issue should be decided on its own merits. Sincerely, John Gilmore Board of Directors Electronic Frontier Foundation Daniel J. Weitzner Deputy Policy Director Electronic Frontier Foundation * NSA LETTER TO X9 COMMITTEE MEMBERS X9 Member I will be casting a NO vote of the NWI proposal for triple-DES, Letter Ballot X9/94-LB#28. The reasons are set forth below. You may find these useful as you determine your position. Jerry Rainville NSA REASONS FOR NEGATIVE VOTE While NSA supports the use of DES in the global financial sector, we believe that standardization of triple-DES is ill-advised for a number of reasons. The financial community should be planning to transition to a new generation of cryptographic algorithms. When DES was first introduced, it represented the "only game in town." IT supported encryption, authentication, key management, and secure hashing applications. With a broader interest in security, the market can now support optimized algorithms by application. Going through the expense of installing a stop-gap can only serve to delay progress in achieving interoperable universal appropriate solutions. While we understand the appeal of a snap-in upgrade, our experience has been that any change is expensive, especially one where the requirements on the key management system change. WE do not agree that replacing DES with triple-DES is significantly less expensive than upgrading to more appropriate technology Tripling of any algorithm is cryptographically unsound. Notice that tripling DES, at best, only doubles the length of the cryptovariable (key). Phrased another way, the DES was optimized for security at 56 bits. We cannot vouch that any of the schemes for doubling the cryptovariable length of DES truly squares the security. We understand the financial community has concerns with current key escrow based encryption, however, we are committed to searching for answers to those concerns. But the government is also committed to key escrow encryption, and we do not believe that the proposal for triple DES is consistent with this objective. US export control policy does not allow for general export of DES for encryption, let alone triple-DES. Proceeding with this NWI would place X9 at odds with this long standing policy. It also violates the newly accepted X9 cryptographic policy. The US government has not endorsed triple-DES; manufacturers and users may be reluctant to use triple-DES products for fear of possible liability. Finally, further proliferation of triple-DES is counter to national security and economic objectives. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss these concerns with an appropriate executive of your institution. ------------------------------ Subject: Aerosmith & EFF Rock the Net ------------------------------------- Aerosmith Press Release America's premier rock band, Aerosmith, today announced details of a unique global event which will take the band across the information technology frontiers into new realms of Cyberspace. In what will be the first event of its kind, Aerosmith's history- making "Cyberspace Tour," scheduled to take place over four days (December 4 to 7 inclusive), will allow fans from all over the world to "speak" directly to the band via the four leading information service providers: CompuServe, Prodigy, America Online and the Internet. Never before has a band utilized four online services in this way, and never before have so many people been brought together at one time for an interactive gathering of this kind. Proceeds from the connect time charges and the sale of limited edition "Aerosmith Cyberspace Tour" T-shirts (specially designed in support of the event by graphic artists at Wired Magazine and manufactured by Giant Merchandising) will benefit the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) -- a civil liberties organization dedicated to advancing free speech on the networks. In addition, Aerosmith has secured substantial cash donations for the Foundation from Geffen Records, EMI Music Publishing and Columbia Records. Founded in July 1990, over the past four years, the EFF has sponsored litigation and legislation to protect the privacy rights of computer users, to ensure that electronic publishers are treated equally under the law and to guarantee that all speech, no matter how controversial, has a forum where it can be heard. As committed supporters of both the First and Fourth Amendments, Aerosmith hopes to focus worldwide attention on these important issues through the instigation of this event. In addition to the opportunity to converse directly with each of the band members, those participating will stand to win an exciting array of Aerosmith prizes, ranging from the band's latest, collectible Columbia release, "Box of Fire", and Geffen's "Big Ones" Aerosmith compilation album and home video, to their first interactive CD-ROM game, "Virtual Guitar: Quest for Fame, Featuring Aerosmith" and the CD-ROM-based music video puzzle game: "Vid Grid." Kicking off on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. (EST) Aerosmith will first join users of CompuServe, the world's largest commercial online service, for an hour-long interchange. The following night, at 10 p.m. (EST), they will link up with Prodigy devotees for an hour, before surfing over to America Online on Tuesday, Dec. 6, between 8:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. (EST). For their final appearance (10 p.m. EST Dec. 7), the band will log on to a linked collection of live electronic gathering places, called MOOs, accessible through the Internet. This last stop on the tour will see an unprecedented number of users accessing the system -- making this a ground-breaking excursion along the information highway. For two of the online events, the band will be set up backstage, with Macintosh Powerbooks courtesy of Apple Computers, prior to their shows at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit (Dec. 4) and the United Center in Chicago (Dec. 6). For the other two nights, utilizing the same equipment, they will take time out of their hectic schedules, to link up with their fans en route between gigs. Anyone with a computer, a modem and access to one of the four online services (which are immediately available from any computer store or through any of the commercial services' 800 numbers) will be able to dial in and participate in this exciting tour of Cyberspace. For directions to these online 'gigs' users should contact either the Electronic Frontier Foundation at 202-347-5400 (voice) or aerosmith@eff.org (internet e-mail). Alternatively, details will be available on each of the participating online services. 11/23/94 Press Contact: Wendy Laister, +1-213-655-4140 or +44-385-300069 ------------------------------ Subject: Statement of Rep. Brown on Encryption Standards and Procedures Act --------------------------------------------------------------------------- On October 6, Rep. George Brown (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, introduced the "Encryption Standards and Procedures Act of 1994". The bill was not considered this year. Brown introduced this bill at the end of this Congress inorder to send a signal that he is serious about pursuing legislation similar to this next year. Congress is likely to begin to consider this issue early in the next session (early 1995), so there is plenty of time to come up with opinons and reactions to the bill. But, inorder to keep you informed about important developments in Congress, we thought you should see this as soon as we did. Please read this statement, take a look at the draft legislation and EFF's initial analysis and summary (see URLs at the end of this document), and let us know what you think. "ENCRYPTION STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES ACT OF 1994" HON. GEORGE E. BROWN, JR. OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THURSDAY OCTOBER 6, 1994 Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing H.R. 5199, the Encryption Standards and Procedures Act of 1994. The purpose of this legislation is to establish Federal policy governing the development and use of encryption technology for unclassified information that strikes the proper balance between the public's right to private and secure communications and the government's need to decipher information obtained through lawful electronic surveillance. The legislation would authorize the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and issue, by regulation, federal encryption standards for ensuring the privacy, security, and authenticity of domestic and international electronic communications in a way that preserves privacy rights and maintains the government's authority and ability to conduct electronic surveillance. The development of such standards under a rulemaking process will ensure that all stakeholders have an opportunity to influence the final program. With respect to policy, the bill would permit wider use of encryption technology while reasserting the Forth Amendment privacy rights and the government's authority to conduct lawful electronic surveillance. To ensure those rights are preserved, the bill would impose new legal requirements on escrow agents that may be part of an encryption standard established under the legislation. It would also establish a research and development program at NIST to develop next generation encryption technology, and would authorize the use of available appropriations to implement the legislation. Mr. Speaker, this Administration has placed a high priority on promoting the National Information Infrastructure (NII) and in realizing the economic and social benefits of that infrastructure. To achieve those goals, which I strongly endorse, information communicated over the NII must be secure, private, and authentic. Otherwise, the public will not fully use the NII and we will not realize its vast potential benefits. Encryption technology provides this capability. During the Cold War, the Federal Government pursued a de facto policy of suppressing private sector development, use, and export of encryption technology for national security reasons. Recent advancements in encryption technology and its proliferation make enforcement of that policy increasingly difficult. Moreover, fulfilling the goals of the National Information Infrastructure requires private and secure communications that can only be achieved with encryption technology. The widespread use of that technology, however, threatens to impede the government's ability to conduct lawful electronic surveillance. In February, 1994, the Administration responded to this dilemma by formally adopting a voluntary federal Escrowed Encryption Standard (EES) for electronic voice communications known as "Clipper". The standard would be implemented in computer chips that use a classified mathematical formula to encrypt unclassified telephone conversations and computer data transmitted over public telephone networks. Authorized government agencies can decode those communications by presenting a legal request to tow escrow agents, which would hold two halves of a mathematical key that can decipher the code. The purposes of Clipper are two fold -- first, to provide a means to safeguard public and private electronic communications and, second, to enable government law enforcement authorities and intelligence gathering agencies to decipher such communications that have been lawfully intercepted. Similar voluntary standards for electronic data communications are under development by the government and may soon be issued. The Administration contends that it has authority under the Computer Security Act to issue such standards. Others, however, have raised concerns about the proper interpretation and application of the Act with respect to Clipper and similar standards. The Computer Security Act, which the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology reported and the Congress enacted in 1987, authorizes NIST, in consultation with other appropriate federal agencies, to develop and issue standards and guidelines for protecting "unclassified, sensitive information" in "federal computer systems". The Act did not explicitly contemplate the development or issuance of standards for safeguarding private communications and satisfying the information needs of law enforcement and the intelligence community. Such communications are considered private property subject to separate and distinct constitutional rights an legal protections. The Administration's interpretation of the Computer Security Act to cover such matters appears to go beyond the original intent of the Act and may be inconsistent with other law pertaining to individual privacy, protection of private property, and government authority to conduct lawful surveillance. In testimony at hearings before our Committee, witnesses from industry and privacy groups objected to the secretive way Clipper was developed, and stated that the initiative does not go far enough to promote widespread use of encryption technology. They argued the program will hamper business opportunities for United States firms, may infringe on individual privacy rights, and is prone to abuse. The Administration refutes these claims and intends to proceed with the initiative arguing that it is essential for public safety and national security. The issue currently is stalemated unless there is legislation or third party intervention. The Administration has publicly stated that it does not intend to seek legislation expressly authorizing Clipper or any other federal encryption standard because it wants flexibility to modify its encryption policy and program in response to changing circumstances. The Administration's desire for flexibility, however, contributes to the public's mistrust and opposition to Clipper. The proposal was developed under an administrative directive and, therefore, could just as easily be changed in a way that might be construed to diminish privacy rights without giving the public adequate opportunity to affect the program. For this reason alone, the public is unlikely to ever accept Clipper Chip in its present form. I, along with others, believe that a viable approach to gain public support for an initiative like Clipper is legislation to codify federal encryption policy and govern how that policy would be implemented. In doing so, all stakeholders would have an opportunity to influence the policy. The final program would have been subjected to greater scrutiny and its implementation would be under the rule of law. It may well be that only under these circumstances would the public accept a federal encryption standard and the needs of law enforcement could be satisfied without compromising privacy rights. The Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) issued in September an extensive report entitled "Information Security and Privacy in Network Environments" that is consistent with this view. The report concluded that "appropriate institutional and technical safeguards are required for a broad range of personal... information, [o]therwise, concerns for the security and privacy of networked information may limit the usefulness and acceptance of the global information infrastructure." OTA also stated that such safeguards can only be developed successfully through an "open process" and with congressional involvement so the views of all affected parties can be considered properly in arriving at a final outcome. Public trust in government and acceptance of federal encryption standards can only be achieved through such a process. The sentiment was shared by most respondents to a draft of the bill that I circulated earlier this Summer for comments. Mr. Speaker, the bill I have introduced today has been drafted, not as a perfect solution to the problem of privacy and security in the electronic information age, but as a means for getting the various factions to talk to each other in an open process to reach a sensible and effective resolution of this critical issue. I invite all interested parties to comment on the bill. My intention is to modify the bill to reflect comments made and to introduce it again early in the 104th Congress for consideration by this body. * For a copy of the bill and EFF comments regarding this legislation, see: ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Legislation/Bills_by_number/, hr5199* gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Legislation/Bills_by_number, hr5199* http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Legislation/Bills_by_number/, hr5199* [Note: material will soon be moved to .../Bills_by_number/Old/] ------------------------------ Subject: DoC Telecom & Info Infrastructure Assistance Program Grants -------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT: Stephanie Schoumacher Paige Darden (202) 482-1551 PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS RECEIVE MILLIONS TO DEPLOY INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY Washington, DC -- Today, Secretary of Commerce Ronald H. Brown announced the public institutions that will receive millions of dollars from the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The awards, which will help deploy a nationwide, high speed, interactive infrastructure, are designed to provide access to the information superhighway for every American. The grants require matching funds and will generate millions of dollars toward the development of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) in public institutions such as schools, hospitals, libraries, social service organizations, museums, and state and local governments. "The Telecommunications and Information Infrastructure Assistance (TIIAP) program will help public institutions deploy their services more efficiently," said Secretary Brown. "In addition, they will serve as catalysts for further developing the NII by providing models for communities throughout the nation to follow," he continued. Nearly 100 grants throughout the nation will be awarded. Grants will be awared for both planning and demonstration projects. Key elements include collaboration at the local and state levels, improving social services through technology, and serving diverse segments of society. "Funding a program such as TIIAP, which is built on the concept of public/ private partnerships, is the appropriate role for government to play in helping every American access the information superhighway -- one of the goals of this Administration," said Larry Irving, assistant secretary for communications and information of the U.S. Department of Commerce and administrator of NTIA. TIIAP program objectives include reinforcing the values of American democracy such as empowering citizens, promoting equal opportunity, protecting individuals' rights, and strengthening democratic institutions. Examples of grants that were awarded include: o a telemedicine project that will deliver health services to underserved rural areas; o an environmental education project that will collect data and deliver it to scientists and public schools; o an inner city development project that will use telecommunications technologies to forge links between community building organizations that work to reduce poverty and create social and economic opportunities for inner city residents; and o a project that will provide school children and citizens of the state with access to information through computer terminals located in classrooms, libraries, neighborhood and senior centers, shelters, and health care facilities. The National Telecommunications and Information Administrations serves as the President's principal advisor on telecommunications policies pertaining to the nation's economic and technological advancement and to the regulation of the telecommunications industry. October 12, 1994 ------------------------------ Subject: Digital Library Study - Call for Participation ------------------------------------------------------- Institutional and Organizational Dimensions of the Effective Use of Digital Libraries Professor Rob Kling Principal Investigator Department of Information and Computer Science University of California Irvine, CA 92717 Brief Project Description (10/19/94) There has been recent rapid growth of diverse digital library (DL) services such as: on-line bibliographic databases and catalogs, distributed document databases (including Gopher, World wide web), scholarly and professional discussion lists, electronic journals, and other on-line databases. However, there has been little systematic investigation into the conditions that foster their effective use. This project examines how university faculty and students use relevant DL resources, and the institutional and organizational practices that effectively support the use of DLs for university teaching and research. Institutions and organizations vary in their ability to provide materials to students and faculty in the libraries and their work places. These services are now provided by librarians, academic computing support and booksellers. By identifying the institutional practices that can boost DL access and effective use, we are developing guidelines for planning and supporting network resource sharing. We are conducting a multi-tiered study including: (1) a comparative institutional analysis of 6-8 university digital library and network information services and (2) an intensive field study of DL providers and 50 faculty and graduate students in five disciplines who use DL services at one institution. Some key research questions 1. How accurately do faculty and students perceive the availability of resources, services, contents, and formats of electronic materials? 2. How much do faculty and students actually utilize these resources, and how do they fit their informational preferences and work practices? 3. Under what conditions do faculty and students prefer electronic information to be available in specific forms? For example, when do faculty and students prefer ASCII text, bitmapped text, annotated text, multimedia, or print formats? Under what conditions do faculty and students want networked versus CD-ROM or downloadable resources? Under what conditions can librarians, departments and academic computing support provide these formats? 4. To what extent do faculty and student use services where they have assistance from skilled help such as reference librarians, colleagues or computing support assistants. 5. How do these patterns of preferences and usage vary with different disciplinary traditions, institutional pressures and values and working conditions? 6. How can we succinctly characterize the differences between higher quality and less quality delivery/support of digital library services at a campus level? This study is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is administered by the Center for Research in Information Technology in Organizations at the University of California, Irvine. For more information, contact: Professor Rob Kling (kling@ics.uci.edu) 714-856-5160 [824-5160 after Nov 5, 1994] Ms. Lisa Covi (covi@ics.uci.edu) 714-856-5086 714-556-8513 (Messages) Department of Information and Computer Science University of California Irvine, CA 92717-3425 ------------------------------ Subject: FCC Crackdown on Free Radio Berkeley --------------------------------------------- MEDIA RELEASE For immediate release: Thursday, October 13 - 2 pages Contact: Stephen Dunifer, Free Radio Berkeley - (510) 644-3779, 464-3041 Luke Hiken, Attorney At Law, NLGCDC - (415) 705-6460 FCC SEEKS INJUNCTION TO GAG MICRO POWER BROADCASTER On Tuesday, October 10 attorneys for Stephen Dunifer and Free Radio Berkeley received notice, 80 pages worth, of the FCC's intention to seek an injunction which would bar further broadcasts by Free Radio Berkeley. Stephen Dunifer is named as the responsible party. Free Radio Berkeley is part of a rapidly growing movement which uses inexpensive and low power radio transmitters (1/2 watt to 30 watts) to reach local communities. Called micro power broadcasting, this movement sees simple, easy to use transmitters as the leaflet of the 90's. In an era of multinational controlled mass media, micro power broadcasting is the voice of the community; the voice of the people. For four years the government has been trying to squelch this movement with escalating (but uncollected) fines. Clearly, it sees broadcasting which anyone can do as a threat to centralized control of information, ideas and culture. Intimidation having failed, the FCC is abandoning its own procedures and turning to the weight of the Federal Courts to squelch this new and democratic media. It won't happen. Last July the FCC served a notice of apparent liability on Stephen Dunifer in the amount of $20,000 for alleged illegal broadcasts. This case has been pending before an FCC administrative panel for over a year. In July 1994, a Federal Appeals Court in the District of Columbia ruled that the FCC's current fine structure was invalid. This action, at the very least, places the FCC fine process into a state of limbo until new hearings are held. Perhaps this explains why the FCC has taken this mode of attack. Luke Hiken, attorney for Stephen Dunifer, stated, "This is a totally unprecedented move on the part of the FCC. It appears they have side-stepped their own authority regarding micro radio broadcasting. Instead, they have chosen to bring down the full weight of the Federal Court System on an ever expanding community of broadcasters who are challenging the FCC's ban on micro power broadcasting.". (continued) "They can kiss my Bill of Rights" was Stephen Dunifer's response, who went on further to say, "Neither myself nor the movement to liberate and reclaim the airwaves from corporate control will be deterred one bit by the FCC's latest action. It is a matter of free speech and human rights. No where in their prodigious legal tome does any aggrieved party come forth, other than the FCC, to assert damage or harm. FCC, in my opinion, stands for fostering corporate control. Free Radio Berkeley has been on vacation for the last few months in order to allow time to put together new equipment. Broadcasts will resume shortly at a new frequency, 104.1 FM, and continue until the date of the first court hearing. If an injunction is granted, there are many others taking up the banner of Free Radio Berkeley. We shall not be moved nor stymied by a justice system which means, in reality, just us corporations." Another member of the legal defense team, Allen Hopper, put it this way, "It is utterly amazing that the FCC would seek a TRO, which is only sought for emergency situations where the threat of immediate and irreparable harm requires the intervention of the Court. The fact that the FCC has had this case pending before its own administrative panel for over a year contradicts any notion of emergency or injury. Further, their actions clearly demonstrate the fear they hold for the kind of public dialogue which takes place over micro power radio." Luke Hiken and the National Lawyers Guild Committee on Democratic Communications are committed to defending the rights of micro broadcasters under the US Constitution and principles of international law. At this moment, a hearing on this matter is scheduled to take place on December 2 in Federal District Court in Oakland starting at 10:30 AM. A Free Speech Solidarity Support Rally will be held outside the Oakland Federal Building prior to the hearing. On the following evening (Saturday, December 3) a public forum flying the banner of - Seizing the Space, Media and Communications Free Speech Activism - will be held in Berkeley at the Unitarian Fellowship (Cedar & Bonita). Starting time will be 8 PM. Simultaneous forums on this topic will be taking place in a number of other cities around the US, and perhaps internationally as well, on this date. Complete media packets will be sent out upon request. Please contact Free Radio Berkeley, (510) 644-3779, (510) 464-3041. ------------------------------ Subject: Calendar of Events --------------------------- Nov. 25- Dec. 6 - Window in the Net Conference and Exhibits, Berlin, Germany, Info: http://www.artcom.de/frame/media Nov. 26 - EF-Canada/U. Waterloo Free Speech & Privacy in the Information Age Symposium, Waterloo, Ontario, 8am-6pm. Contact: Wendy Rush, +1 519 885 1211 ext. 3688, or Prof. Jeffrey Shallit, +1 519 888 4804; fax: +1 519 885 1208; internet: sfsp@graceland.uwaterloo.ca Nov. 29- 30 - CAUSE 94 Conference and CNI Task Force Meeting. Contact: Paul Even Peters, Coalition for Networked Information, +1 202 296 5098, paul@cni.org Dec. 3 - EFF-Austin Sysop Liability Workshop, 1pm-6pm CST, featuring EFF's Mike Godwin, Ed Cavazos of EF-Houston, Pete Kennedy (counsel in the Steve Jackson Games case), Steve Ryan (Houston attorney), Garry Kissiah (high-tech law consultant and author). Info: David Smith (bladex@bga.com). Dec. 4 - EFF/Aerosmith Conference, CompuServe Auditorium, 7pm EST Contact: 1-800-848-8199 for CIS access; aerosmith@eff.org for info See article in this issue for background Dec. 5 - Colorado University--Boulder's NII Summit, featuring EFF co-founder John Perry Barlow, Sens. Hank Brown & Ben Campbell, TCI's John Mallone, and US West's Richard McCormick. Info: http://www.cs.colorado.edu/home/mcbryan/cnii/brochure.html - EFF/Aerosmith Conference, Prodigy Auditorium, 10pm EST Contact: 1-800-776-3449 for Prodigy access; aerosmith@eff.org for info Dec. 6 - EFF/Aerosmith Conference, America On-Line Auditorium, 8:15pm EST Contact: 1-800-827-6364 for AOL access; aerosmith@eff.org for info Dec. 7 - EFF/Aerosmith Conference, Internet Meta-MOO, 10pm EST Info: aerosmith@eff.org; even will be hosted simultaneously by many MOO hosts (reachable via telnet or MOO client), including BayMOO, Chiba/Sprawl, MetaVerse and others. See your sysadmin for technical assistance with telnet and MOO access. This historic Event will for the first time link a number of MOO servers in realtime, for the largest single organized live event in Internet history. Even may also be "simulcast" via email and WWW. Send any message to aerosmith@eff.org for periodic updates. Dec. 16 - 4th Annual Loebner Prize Competition in Aritificial Intelligence, Calif. State U. - San Marcos. Contact: Dr. Robert Epstein, +1 619 436 4400, fax: +1 619 436 4490, internet: repstein@nunic.nu.edu Dec. 31 - Deadline for proposals for ISEA 95 (see below). 1995 Sep. 17- 24 - International Symposium on Electronic Art, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Information: +1 514 990 0229, fax: +1 514 842 7459, internet: isea95@er.uqam.ca ------------------------------ Subject: What YOU Can Do ------------------------ "The net poses a fundamental threat not only to the authority of the government, but to all authority, because it permits people to organize, think, and influence one another without any institutional supervision whatsoever. The government is responding to this threat with the Clipper Chip." - John Seabrook, "My First Flame", _New_Yorker_ 06/06/94 Ensuring the democratic potential of the technologies of computer-mediated communication requires active participation in the political processes that shape our destinies. Government agencies, legislatures and heads of state are accustomed to making decisions about the future of technology, media, education, and public access to information, with far-reaching and long-lasting effects on citizens and their lives, but are accustomed to doing so with little input or opposition from anyone but the largest of corporations, and other government representatives. Now, more than ever, EFF is working to make sure that you can play an active role in making these choices. Our members are making themselves heard on the whole range of issues. EFF collected over 5000 letters of support for Rep. Maria Cantwell's bill to liberalize restrictions on cryptography. We also gathered over 1400 letters supporting Sen. Leahy's open hearings on the proposed Clipper encryption scheme, which were held in May 1994. And EFF collected over 90% of the public comments that were submitted to NIST regarding whether or not Clipper should be made a federal standard. Additionally, EFF has worked for the passage of legislation that would ensure open access to the information infrastructure of today and tomorrow, and continues to provide some of the best online resources on privacy, intellectual freedom, the legalities of networking, and public access to government representatives and information. You *know* privacy, freedom of speech and ability to make your voice heard in government are important. You have probably participated in our online campaigns and forums. Have you become a member of EFF yet? The best way to protect your online rights is to be fully informed and to make your opinions heard. EFF members are informed and are making a difference. Join EFF today! For EFF membership info, send queries to membership@eff.org, or send any message to info@eff.org for basic EFF info, and a membership form. ------------------------------ Administrivia ============= EFFector Online is published by: The Electronic Frontier Foundation 1001 G Street NW, Suite 950 E Washington DC 20001 USA +1 202 347 5400 (voice) +1 202 393 5509 (fax) +1 202 638 6119 (BBS - 16.8k ZyXEL) +1 202 638 6120 (BBS - 14.4k V.32bis) Internet: ask@eff.org Internet fax gate: remote-printer.EFF@9.0.5.5.3.9.3.2.0.2.1.tpc.int Coordination, production and shipping by: Stanton McCandlish, Online Activist/SysOp/Archivist Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles individually, please contact the authors for their express permission. Press releases and EFF announcements may be reproduced individ- ually at will. 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