FC: ACM Stanford panel on computer surveillance, Nov 9

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

********

Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 11:42:21 -0400
To: Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>
From: Christopher Morgan <morgan () acm org>
Subject: Special Stanford Panel On Government Computer Surveillance

Declan,

We'd appreciate it is you could spread the word about this panel. (BTW, I saw
you on CSPAN the other day -- good show!)  

-- Chris Morgan, ACM



Special Stanford Panel On Government Computer Surveillance

WHAT: A special panel, hosted by the Association for Computing Machinery
(ACM),
Stanford Law School's Program in Law, Science and Technology, and the Stanford
Computer Science Department, will discuss the implications of the proposed
Federal Intrusion Detection Network (FIDNet) and the general issue of the
government's role in computer surveillance. The moderator will be New York
Times Technology Reporter John Markoff. The panel will be free and open to the
public.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 9, from 5:45 to 8 PM PST

WHERE: Stanford University^Òs Kresge Auditorium, Stanford Law School, 595
Nathan
Abbott Lane.

PANELISTS:
Scott Charney -- Chief of the Computer Crime Unit in the Criminal Division of
the Department of Justice
Whitfield Diffie -- Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems
Marc Rotenberg -- Director, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
John Markoff -- Moderator, Technology Reporter, The New York Times

BACKGROUND: 
On August 7, 1999, President Clinton issued an Executive Order establishing a
Working Group on Unlawful Conduct on the Internet. The Group would prepare
recommendations about the need for "new technology tools, capabilities or
legal
authorities" to successfully prosecute violations of the law, including the
illegal sale of guns, explosives, controlled substances and prescription
drugs,
as well as fraud and child pornography.

FIDNet (Federal Intrusion Detection Network) has a number of major privacy
implications. The plan could allow the government to monitor data flowing over
a range of computer networks. The proposed system could allow access to e-mail
and other documents, as well as computer programs. When John Markoff covered
the FIDNet story in July, it wasn't clear how the information would be
collected or maintained, and under what conditions it would be available to
law
enforcement officials. The plan was described as "fluid and vague."

Please contact Anne Wilson (annewilson () acm org) or Chris Morgan
(morgan () acm org) for more information.

ACM (www.acm.org), the oldest and largest international professional computing
society, is committed to examining all sides of the major issues affecting the
world of computing.




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