PRIVACY Forum Digest Saturday, 1 August 1992 Volume 01 : Issue 11 Moderated by Lauren Weinstein (lauren@cv.vortex.com) Vortex Technology, Topanga, CA, U.S.A. ===== PRIVACY FORUM ===== The PRIVACY Forum digest is supported in part by the ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy. CONTENTS CPSR Testimony Regarding NREN Now Available (Moderator--Lauren Weinstein) DNA databanking (Gary Chapman) Gateway/WINDO Action Notice (Chris Lewis) Aug 6 Workshop on Information Policy (James P. Love) *** Please include a RELEVANT "Subject:" line on all submissions! *** *** Submissions without them may be ignored! *** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The PRIVACY Forum is a moderated digest for the discussion and analysis of issues relating to the general topic of privacy (both personal and collective) in the "information age" of the 1990's and beyond. The moderator will choose submissions for inclusion based on their relevance and content. Submissions will not be routinely acknowledged. ALL submissions should be addressed to "privacy@cv.vortex.com" and must have RELEVANT "Subject:" lines. Submissions without appropriate and relevant "Subject:" lines may be ignored. Subscriptions are by an automatic "listserv" system; for subscription information, please send a message consisting of the word "help" (quotes not included) in the BODY of a message to: "privacy-request@cv.vortex.com". Mailing list problems should be reported to "list-maint@cv.vortex.com". All submissions included in this digest represent the views of the individual authors and all submissions will be considered to be distributable without limitations. The PRIVACY Forum archive, including all issues of the digest and all related materials, is available via anonymous FTP from site "cv.vortex.com", in the "/privacy" directory. Use the FTP login "ftp" or "anonymous", and enter your e-mail address as the password. The typical "README" and "INDEX" files are available to guide you through the files available for FTP access. PRIVACY Forum materials may also be obtained automatically via e-mail through the listserv system. Please follow the instructions above for getting the listserv "help" information, which includes details regarding the "index" and "get" listserv commands, which are used to access the PRIVACY Forum archive. For information regarding the availability of this digest via FAX, please send an inquiry to privacy-fax@cv.vortex.com, call (310) 455-9300, or FAX to (310) 455-2364. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- VOLUME 01, ISSUE 11 Quote for the day: "There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission." -- The "Control Voice" "The Outer Limits" (1963-1965) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 1 Aug 92 18:57 PDT From: lauren@cv.vortex.com (Moderator--Lauren Weinstein) Subject: CPSR Testimony Regarding NREN Now Available Greetings. As noted in the previous PRIVACY Forum digest, CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility) recently testified regarding NREN privacy issues before the National Commission on Library and Information Science (NCLIS). The complete text of that testimony is now available from the PRIVACY Forum archives (it is approximately 20K bytes long). I urge everyone interested in the future directions of the Internet to consider reading this document. Those of you with FTP access can retrieve it as "/privacy/cpsr-nren.1.Z" from "cv.vortex.com" (be sure to use image mode for a ".Z" transfer, or else specify the filename without the ".Z" for automatic uncompression of the file during transfer). The text is also available automatically via e-mail for those without FTP access through the PRIVACY Forum listserv system. Send a message to the address: listserv@cv.vortex.com with the first line of text in the BODY of the message being: get privacy cpsr-nren.1 The subject field of the message is irrelevant. The testimony will be delivered to you via return e-mail. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 15:31:25 EDT From: Gary Chapman Subject: DNA databanking Today (7/28) the Wall Street Journal features an article (page B1) on DNA databanking, the FBI's computer database of DNA data, and the concerns of critics. The article reports that fifteen states now have DNA databanking programs, and it is estimated that double that number will have such programs in place by 1995. There have been 600 trials using DNA as evidence since 1988. Next year the FBI is scheduled to link state programs in a nation-wide computer network. The article describes the first "cold search" of DNA databanks, in a Minnesota case in which a defendant was arrested for the rape and murder of a Minneapolis woman on the basis of a DNA match appearing in the state's computerized system. The crime-scene DNA was acquired from a sperm sample and it matched a sample collected from a convicted sex offender when he was a prisoner. Last week the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in the state, ruled that DNA matching may not be used as conclusive prosecutorial evidence in a criminal trial, although the lack of a match can be used as a defense. Massachusetts is the only state in the country that has produced such a court ruling -- all of the other 40 appellate court rulings have been in favor of using DNA evidence in support of the prosecution's case. The Massachusetts court said that there is insufficient scientific consensus on the validity of DNA matching. The court cited a recent report by the National Research Council, which said that the state of the art leaves the technology open to doubt. But this could change in the future, and the Massachusetts ruling does not rule out DNA evidence if the technology generates a tighter scientific consensus. Nachama Wilker, executive director of the Council for Responsible Genetics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, says that the collection of DNA samples from all prisoners is a slippery slope that will affect the use of DNA in non-criminal social transactions, such as eligibility for insurance, employment opportunity, and other forms of discrimination. She says in The Wall Street Journal that there are no guarantees that DNA data collected from prisoners will be used exclusively for criminal justice procedures, and she argues that DNA evidence should only be used for serious crimes with demonstrated patterns of repeated offenses. Some states have passed legislation protecting the confidentiality of DNA data, such as Wisconsin, which prohibits DNA data from being used for insurance eligibility or employment evaluation. Only five states have such laws on the books, however. Some public interest advocates are supporting a DNA Identification Bill in the Congress, already passed by the House, that would enforce confidentiality, limit the use of DNA data, and impose federal standards on state laboratories. The NRC report also called for laboratory accreditation by federal agencies. ------------------------------ Date: July 29, 1992 From: chris@essential.org (Chris Lewis) Subject: Gateway/WINDO Action Notice GATEWAY/WINDO Action Notice: ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! The Congress is running out of time to consider S. 2813, the GPO Gateway to Government, and H.R. 2772, the GPO Wide Information Network for Data Online (WINDO), legislation this year. These bills would provide for single point on-line access to government information through the Government Printing Office (GPO). The House Committee on Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration will likely meet to mark up these bills before the scheduled August 13 congressional recess. It is critical that members of these committees, and their staffs, hear from supporters of the legislation over the next two weeks if these bills are to pass the Congress this year. Phone calls to members and their staff are most needed, but written letters are appropriate as well. All communication should emphasize the need for expanded public access to federal data bases and the simple and efficient good government approach incorporated in these two bills. Members of congress can be reached by phone through the Capitol switchboard at 202/224-3121. Mail to Senators should be addressed: The Honorable ______, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510. Mail to Congressmen/women should be addressed: The Honorable _______, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515. Members of the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives are: Charlie Rose, NC Bill Thomas, CA Frank Annunzio, IL William Dickinson, AL Joseph Gaydos, PA Newt Gingrich, GA Leon Panetta, CA Pat Roberts, KS Al Swift, WA Paul Gilmor, OH Mary Rose Oakar, OH James Walsh, NY Bill Clay, MO Mickey Edwards, OK Sam Gejdenson, CT Bob Livingston, LA Joe Kolter, PA Bill Barrett, NE Martin Frost, TX Tom Manton, NY Marty Russo, IL Steny Hoyer, MD Gerald Kleczka, WI Dale Kildee, MI Members of the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate are: Wendell Ford, KY Ted Stevens, AK Claiborne Pell, RI Mark Hatfield, OR Robert Bryd, WV Jesse Helms, NC Daniel Inouye, HI John Warner, VA Dennis DeConcini, AZ Bob Dole, KS Al Gore, TN Jake Garn, UT Daniel Moynihan, NY Mitch McConnell, KY Christopher Dodd, CT Brock Adams, WA Note: If you need copies of the legislation and a fact sheet, send an email message to love@essential.org. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Chris Lewis voice: 202/387-8030 Director, Washington Office fax: 202/234-5176 Taxpayer Assets Project internet: chris@essential.org P.O. Box 19367 Washington, DC 20036 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 16:42:33 EDT From: James P Love Subject: AUG 6 WORKSHOP ON INFORMATION POLICY TAXPAYER ASSETS PROJECT WORKSHOP ON GOVERNMENT INFORMATION POLICY AUGUST 6, 1992 Computers, Technology, and Public access to Government Information You are invited to attend the first Taxpayer Assets Project Workshop on Government Information Policy. ------------------------------------------------------- WHEN: 8:45 am to 4:00 pm; August 6, 1992 WHERE: The Carnegie Institution, 1530 P Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 COST: Free ------------------------------------------------------- The Taxpayer Assets Project will be hosting a series of workshops on government information policy. The first workshop will be held on August 6, 1992 at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC. This workshop will focus on three issues relating to public access to government information resources: the proposed GPO Gateway to Government/WINDO, OMB's proposed revision of Circular A-130, and proposed restructuring of the federal Landsat program. ------------------------------------------------------- AGENDA INTRODUCTION 8:45 am to 9:00 am James Love, Director, Taxpayer Assets Project ***************************Panel One*************************** GETTING THE GOVERNMENT ONLINE 9:00 am to 10:00 am Congress is now considering legislation that would require the Government Printing Office (GPO) to establish a program for one- stop-shopping for online access to federal information. These bills are S. 2813, the GPO Gateway to Government, introduced by Senator Gore (D-TN), and H.R. 2772, the GPO Wide Information Network for Data Online (WINDO), introduced by Representative Charlie Rose (D-NC). The supporters of the bills say the Gateway/WINDO will revolutionize public access to government information. The panel will discuss the Gateway/WINDO proposals, and report on the status of the bills. Moderator: Anne Heanue, Associate Director of the Washington Office, American Library Association Panel Members John Merritt, Staff Director, Joint Committee on Printing Bernadine Hoduski, Professional Staff, Joint Committee on Printing Chris Lewis, Director of the Washington Office, Taxpayer Assets Project ***************************Panel Two*************************** GETTING IT RIGHT: A-130, PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION 10:15 am to 11:45 am OMB recently proposed a revision of its Circular A-130, a policy advisory which concerns the management of federal information resources. Circular A-130 has been at the center of information policy debates for almost a decade. The current version of A-130 was adopted in 1985, amid considerable controversy, much of it related to the provisions which told agencies to place "the maximum feasible reliance" upon the private sector for the dissemination of government information, and to avoid duplications of private sector information products and services. In 1989 OMB attempted, unsuccessfully, to amend A-130, placing severe limits on the so called "value added" services that agencies could provide to the public. OMB proposed that agencies only provide "wholesale" information products and services, leaving "retail" value-added functions to the private sector. The 1992 proposed revision of A-130 would reverse many restrictions on agency dissemination programs, providing, for the first time, a mandate for agencies to freely use computer technologies to disseminate government information. The proposed revision also asks federal agencies to limit prices for information products and services to the costs of dissemination. However, despite its good pricing provisions and the less restrictive dissemination mandate, the proposed Circular does little to actively encourage broader access to federal information resources. Moreover, the Circular seeks to allow federal agencies to withhold electronic information products and services from the federal Depository Library Program, raising the specter of a technological sunset of this important program which provides free access to federal information through 1,400 libraries nationwide. The panel will discuss the impact of the proposed Circular, and how A-130 *should* be revised to make the best use of public information. Moderator: Marc Rotenberg, Director of the Washington Office, Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Panel Members: Theresa Amato, staff attorney, Public Citizen, Director, Freedom of Information Clearing House James Love, Director, Taxpayers Assets Project Dr. David McMillen, Professional Staff, Senate Subcommittee on Government Information Anne Heanue, Associate Director of the Washington Office, American Library Association Bruce McConnell, Chief, Information Policy Branch, Office of Budget and Management Other panelists to be announced *******************************LUNCH***************************** Break for Lunch in Area Restaurants 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm ***************************Panel Three*************************** EFFORTS TO RESTRUCTURE THE FEDERAL LANDSAT PROGRAM 2:00 pm to 4:00 am The federal Landsat program provides satellite images which are useful to researchers who study a wide range of natural resources and environmental issues. Since 1972 the federal government has spent more than $3.5 billion to finance the Landsat program. When the Landsat program was started the images were available to researchers for free or for the costs of dissemination of the information. In the early 1980's the Reagan Administration sharply increased Landsat fees, hoping to defray some of the costs of collecting the information. In 1984, congress approved legislation to privatize the Landsat program. As a result of these initiatives, the price of Landsat images increased sharply, and the use of the data by academic and citizen group researchers plummeted. EOSAT, a joint venture owned by General Motors and General Electric, has exclusive rights to sell all data collected by Landsat. Despite the huge increases in the prices for the Landsat data, EOSAT has contributed little to the costs of the collection of the Landsat data. Critics of Landsat privatization have also made a number of complaints about EOSAT's poor customer service and its failure to archive important data. Congress is now considering two bills that would restructure the Landsat program. A senate bill (S. 2297), introduced by Senator Pressler (R-SD), would require Landsat data to be sold at the marginal cost of the dissemination of the information. A house bill (H.R. 3614) would give the federal government and certain government funded researchers the right to buy Landsat data at the marginal cost of dissemination, while requiring all others to buy Landsat images from EOSAT, at market prices. This panel will discuss the importance of the Landsat program to the research community, the impact of the privatization initiative, and the House and Senate proposals to restructure the Landsat program. Moderator: Dr. Keith Clark, Hunter College Panel Members: Dr. Kathleen Eisenbeis, consultant in government information policy and resources Dr. Keith Clark, Hunter College Dr. Robert Summers, Director of the South Carolina Land Resources Commission Dan Nelson, Legislative Assistant for Commerce Science and Transportation Committee, Senator Pressler ------------------------------------------------------- The public is invited to attend the workshop. While there will be no fee and advanced registration is not required, confirmation of your attendance will help us plan the workshop. Please provide the following information to the Taxpayer Assets Project, at: Taxpayer Assets Project P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036 voice: 202/387-8030; fax: 202/234-5176 internet: aug6@essential.org ------------------------------------------------------- yes, I will be attending the August 6, 1992 workshop on Computers, Technology, and Public access to Government Information Name: _____________________________________ Title: _____________________________________ Affiliation: _____________________________________ Address: _____________________________________ Telephone: _____________________________________ Fax: _____________________________________ EMAIL: _____________________________________ ------------------------------ End of PRIVACY Forum Digest 01.11 ************************