Date: 12 Oct 2000 22:05:41 -0400 Message-ID: <20001013020541.3835.qmail@xuxa.iecc.com> From: owner-telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org (Telecom Digest) To: telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org Subject: Telecom Digest V2000 #85 Reply-To: editor@telecom-digest.org Sender: owner-telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org Errors-To: owner-telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org Precedence: bulk X-UIDL: 0f8e860aa3548b77ff0b5223b7444478 Status: RO X-Status: Telecom Digest Thursday, October 12 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 085 In this issue: Re: Telecom Digest V2000 #77 Re: Telecom Digest V2000 #83 Re: Pentaconta switches? Star Plus voicemail help?? Experienced with DOS, SCSI and Dialogic? FCC adopts rules to open phone competition in apartments, offices Re: FCC adopts rules to open phone competition in apartments, offices Re: Sen. Edwards Intro's 'Spyware Control Act' 10/12/00 ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES Re: Can the EU Preserve Web Privacy in England? EPIC Alert 7.18 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 12 Oct 2000 07:09:21 -0400 From: Louis RAPHAEL Subject: Re: Telecom Digest V2000 #77 Green, Andrew wrote: : I don't dispute the relative value of the instrument vs. the time and cost : spent renting it, but rental is rental. You don't get to keep your apartment : just because you've lived in it for 30 years, either. And besides, who's to say that you're not still *using* the old rotary? I'm totally with TelCo on this one. - --L - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 10:06:06 -0400 From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Telecom Digest V2000 #83 I did not receive 83. - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 10:44:39 -0400 From: Alban Couturier Subject: Re: Pentaconta switches? Wim Lauwers wrote: > > Jim Haynes wrote: > > > > I remember the name from some ITT literature back in the 1950s or 1960s. > > ITT had a periodical, might have been named Electrical Communication. > > It has become Alcatel some 20 years ago. I think it was a mixed digital/ > analog system, that is digital control but analog switching, though it > could be the Metaconta system too. Anyway, I'm far too young to help you > any further... > As far as I know, the Pentaconta was ITT's crossbar system, available in early 60's. Metaconta was the next generation switch, and I know it was presented during a french tender in 1975. This one must have been a spatial switch (I mean analog switching with digital control). Disclaimer: I am not so old, I read it in a book of french telephone history... - -- Alban Couturier - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 11:35:33 -0400 From: "Paul Migliorelli \(+1-303-543-2311\)" Subject: Star Plus voicemail help?? Hi all. In our radio station office, we acquired a Vodavy (pardon the spelling, and my apology for not being familiar with this company), phone system and star plus voicemail system. This is run on a dos based pc, and along with voicemail, I've been wanting to set up various menu trees and run some of our blindness radio reading service programming as an on demand service for those who miss our on air content. I gather this system uses files with the extension ".vox". Aah allas, I have never ***heard of .vox files. I seem to remember old voice files caalled ".voc" files. (grin). I guess what I need is a way to go from .wav to .vox, if there is such a thing. I'm fighting with 2 proprietary file formats, if thats the case. That is, our studio ware uses its own, and I can at least get that translated to wav, but the .vox, I really have no clue. Any help?? Much appreciated. Thanks much... evoice (+1-800-222-6000 Mailbox 7 2 8 5 6 4 4 7 which spells paulmigs) If its necessary to quote my original message, please place your response above the original text. This makes for much easier reading. Thanks much. http://www.rrsr.org Join us for a chat on I R C channel #paulmigs! Use your Internet Relay Chat (IRC) software to connect to irc.dal.net Once there, join channel #paulmigs See you there! - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 12:37:42 -0400 From: dkmiller51@hotmail.com Subject: Experienced with DOS, SCSI and Dialogic? Are you in St. Louis and experienced with DOS, SCSI and Dialogic voice processing cards? I'll spend a few hundred dollars for your assistance in upgrading a PC based voice processing system that handles several thousand calls a week. Email dkmiller51@hotmail.com and tell me something about your experience. Thanks. - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 14:30:23 -0400 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: FCC adopts rules to open phone competition in apartments, offices FCC adopts rules to open phone competition in apartments, offices WASHINGTON (AP) -- New federal rules approved Thursday would help millions of apartment dwellers and small businesses in the United States share in the fruits of new competition between local telephone companies, promised by a recent law opening up the market for such services. The Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that would bar phone companies from getting exclusive rights to serve office buildings with multiple businesses. The agency said it would weigh whether to expand those rules to residential apartment buildings and whether to prohibit telecom companies from getting exclusive marketing agreements or bonuses from landlords. Fu story: http://www.techtv.com/internettonight/musiconline/story/0,4602,2161246,0 0.html / From the desk of Joey Lindstrom / / How many people does it take to change a searchlight bulb? / --Steven Wright - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 16:39:20 -0400 From: "Joey Lindstrom" Subject: Re: FCC adopts rules to open phone competition in apartments, offices On Thu, 12 Oct 2000 13:27:33 -0700, Linc Madison wrote: >[[ This message was both posted and mailed: see > the "To," "Cc," and "Newsgroups" headers for details. ]] > >In article >, Joey >Lindstrom wrote: > >> FCC adopts rules to open phone competition in apartments, offices >> >> Fu[ll] story: >> >> 2161246,00.html> > >Unless Gary Numan took over the FCC, I think you pasted the wrong >URL.... > >The FCC's press release can be found at > > :-) How schmucklike do I feel right now, on a scale of 1 to 10? I leave the solution as an exercise for the student. [Mental note: next time when pressing CTRL-V, make darned sure the text copied is what you THOUGHT you copied...] / From the desk of Joey Lindstrom / / Pick two: 1)Fast 2)Right 3)Cheap 4)Windows (counts as 2) - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 19:51:08 -0400 From: John McHarry Subject: Re: Sen. Edwards Intro's 'Spyware Control Act' A fine idea, but I have often wondered what the difference is between breaking in to a computer and downloading files, and getting the user to install a Trojan Horse (that is what spyware is) that downloads the files for you. On 12 Oct 2000 01:03:51 -0400, Monty Solomon wrote: > >Sen. Edwards Intro's 'Spyware Control Act' > By Brian Krebs, Newsbytes >WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., >09 Oct 2000, 3:29 PM CST > >Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., introduced legislation on Friday that >would force software manufacturers to notify consumers when their >products include "spyware," bits of code that surreptitiously >transmit information about the user's Web surfing habits back to the >software company. > >http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/156365.html - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 21:06:06 -0400 From: "Judith Oppenheimer" Subject: 10/12/00 ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************ ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* CONTENTS - - FCC SANCTIONS LEAKY LOBBYISTS - - VOICE PORTAL REPORT RELEASED - - ITXC COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF eFUSION - - SNAC CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN UP 800 FUNCTIONING - - THE INTERNET 800 DIRECTORY ANNOUNCES SPANISH VERSION - - DOT US COMMENTS PUBLISHED - - S. AUSTRALIA GOVT. IN CYBERSQUAT FIASCO - - PACCAR, INC. V. TELESCAN TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C. - - INTERNET BUSINESS MODELERS IGNORED IN TLD PROCESS ************************************************************************ CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTES: Access to all articles, Free and Premium, requires registration. Registration contact information is not sold, leased, or rented. ICB is a popular research destination, with all content archived indefinitely. Find all ICB headlines, current and archived, at http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************ ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************ !!! YOUR TEXT AD HERE !!! 18,000+ weekly readership, over 154,000 targeted impressions every month! Space is limited -- ORDER NOW! -- email editor@icbtollfree.com. ************************************************************************ HEADLINES for October 12, 2000 F - FCC SANCTIONS LEAKY LOBBYISTS The rules apply to persons who are "regulated by or practicing before" the Commission, meaning all lawyers plus nonlawyers who work for companies regulated by the FCC. Several commissioners agreed with him that the real culprits were agency employees who leaked documents to outsiders. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4637 P - VOICE PORTAL REPORT RELEASED Many consumers are attracted to the voice portal concept but may be turned off by advertising." According to an In-Stat survey of 1,000 consumers, nearly half of those surveyed would be very likely to use voice portals but less than a third were willing to use them if they were forced to listen to ads. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4636 F - ITXC COMPLETES ACQUISITION OF eFUSION Customers include major traditional carriers and RBOCs who achieve lower costs for phone-to-phone calls while maintaining carrier quality, Web merchants who increase sales with Push to Talk buttons on Web sites and e-mail, Internet-based Web-to-phone providers and voice portals as well as carriers and ISPs providing Web-based call management including Internet call waiting. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4635 P - SNAC CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN UP 800 FUNCTIONING "SYSTEM" means all processing, communications, and other elements involved in loading toll free records from the time a request is sent from the RespOrg until a response is received that record loading to all SCP's has been completed, facilitating customer call routing. The system should: CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4632 ************************************************************************* **************************************************advertisements********* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. ************************************************************************* Are you a local or regional business that advertises in newspapers, direct mail, on radio or tv? 1 800 BRAND IT shared use marketing programs can help your sales skyrocket! http://www.1800BrandIt.com ************************************************************************* FT Telecom Conferences In its 20th year, this event will bring leading personalities in the telecomms industry to discuss opportunities and challenges which technological advancement, increased competition and restructuring will pose to the future of global telecommunications. Register online to receive your 10% discount. http://www.ftconferences.com/dynamic/conferences/ftwt00.htm?bn=icb ************************************************************************* EVERY 3.6 SECONDS SOMEONE DIES FROM HUNGER http://www.hungersite.com/ ************************************************************************* Visit Global Telecom Domains(SM), 'The Best Names in Telecom' www.GlobalTelecomDomains.com ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES for October 12, 2000 F - THE INTERNET 800 DIRECTORY ANNOUNCES SPANISH VERSION "The Hispanic and Spanish-speaking usage of our site has grown exponentially, as has the growth of Hispanic-oriented web sites, domestic and international Spanish-speaking population and buying power, " said Steven A. Jackson, CEO of DIANCO. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4631 P - DOT US COMMENTS PUBLISHED The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, Department of Commerce, requested comments on a draft statement of work and draft methods and procedure section, which is expected to be incorporated in a request for proposals for management and administration of the .us domain space. Comments were due Friday and are now available. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4630 F - S. AUSTRALIA GOVT. IN CYBERSQUAT FIASCO A staff member of Premier John Olsen has been cybersquatting on the Internet domain name of Opposition Leader Mike Rann. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4629 P - PACCAR, INC. V. TELESCAN TECHNOLOGIES, L.L.C. In this trademark infringement suit, the court enjoined defendant, a truck listing service, from using plaintiff's registered federal trademarks in either the domain name, meta tags, site title or wallpaper of web sites that inform consumers of entities offering plaintiff's trucks for sale. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4633 F - INTERNET BUSINESS MODELERS IGNORED IN TLD PROCESS "I wish to protest over the processes that you have used to seek new applications for TLD. You have advertised the new opportunity to create new TLD to "The Internet Technical Community" yet left the majority of "Internet Business Modelers" totally in the dark... The e2p (tm) technology makes every word or letter available as a new TLD, so long as it was not a pre-existing TLD at the 1st of January 2000." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4634 ************************************************************************* **************************************************advertisements********* TelecomCareers.net - Cutting Edge Telecom Careers, #1 Telecom Job Site! http://TelecomCareers.net ************************************************************************* P.A.T. - a real Live person inside your voice mail? Yes. P.A.T.LiVE, a division of ATG Technologies, Inc., rents live secretarial services through a toll free number. P.A.T. (Personal Assistance Team) can enhance your productivity and image with rates as low as 3 cents per minute. http://www.patlive.com or 800.775.7790 ************************************************************************* Free Timely Time Management Tips to increase your personal productivity and give you more time and balance for your personal life. Subscribe now at: http://www.topica.com/lists/timemanagement ************************************************************************* Read TOLLFREE-L online at http://www.egroups.com/group/tollfree-l/info.html ************************************************************************* ABOUT ICB ICB HeadsUp Headlines Daily Email is sent by request. Subscriptions to Daily Email are free to qualified applicants. Visit http://www.icbtollfree.com/reg.cfm?NextURL=Index.cfm to sign up. Please feel free to pass along a copy to a friend, within reason so long as the message is not modified or used unfavorably. To unsubscribe mailto:editor@icbtollfree.com, subject: unsubscribe. *************************** ADVERTISING INFORMATION *************************** For information on advertising in ICB HeadsUp Headlines emails, see http://www.icbtollfree.com/ArticleId4415.html ************************************************************************* Only subscribers or registered users of ICB Toll Free News web site will be able to access all or some of the full text of URLs provided. ************************************************************************* Copyright © 2000 ICB, Inc. All rights reserved. ************************************************************************* ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 21:29:07 -0400 From: Peter Morgan <$nospam$@webnet.clara.net> Subject: Re: Can the EU Preserve Web Privacy in England? In comp.dcom.telecom ... on 9 Oct 2000 00:03:07 -0400 Monty Solomon wrote: >First, challenges from the European Union thwarted the >attempted Time Warner-EMI merger. s/thwarted/delayed/ perhaps... from a report by the BBC, it has not yet been ruled out, merely delayed (here's the BBC text) "The two companies on Thursday withdrew their application to the European Commission for permission to merge their music arms, stating they wanted more time to tackle objections to the tie-up." As for the "Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act", some ISPs, including one I use, have already made plans to make use of its European division(s) and use mail servers located outside the UK for customer e-mail (avoiding the control mechanisms of any official organisation which could otherwise request e-mail and other traffic be "tapped", and copied to some government collection/analysis centre). Peter ( ukpost @ hotmail.com ) - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 12 Oct 2000 22:05:25 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 7.18 ============================================================== @@@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @@@ @ @ @@@@@ @ @@@ @@@ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @@@@ @ @@@ @@@@ @ @ @@@@ @@@@ @ @ @ ============================================================== Volume 7.18 October 12, 2000 -------------------------------------------------------------- Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_7.18.html ======================================================================= Table of Contents ======================================================================= [1] EPIC Obtains First Set of FBI Carnivore Documents [2] Congressional Office Seeks Access to Census and IRS Data [3] Capitol Hill Hearings Focus on Internet Consumer Privacy [4] New At-Large Members Elected to ICANN Board [5] NIST Selects New Advanced Encryption Standard [6] Supreme Court to Hear Thermal Imaging Case [7] EPIC Bookstore - Think UNIX [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events ======================================================================= [1] EPIC Obtains First Set of FBI Carnivore Documents ======================================================================= The Federal Bureau of Investigation released the first set of documents concerning its Carnivore Internet surveillance system on October 2. The documents were released as a result of EPIC's Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the FBI and Department of Justice (see EPIC Alert 7.15). Of the 729 pages of material processed, nearly 200 were withheld in full and another 400 were released with deletions. The documents reveal the surveillance system's origins, contain discussions of interception of voice over IP, and describe various testing procedures. The newly-released documents confirm that Carnivore grew out of an earlier FBI project called "Omnivore" and reveal for the first time that Omnivore itself replaced an older surveillance tool. The name of that earlier project has been blacked out of the documents, and remains classified. In September 1998, the FBI's Data Intercept Technology Unit in Quantico, Virginia launched a project to migrate Omnivore from Sun's Solaris operating system to a Windows NT platform. "This will facilitate the miniaturization of the system and support a wide range of personal computer (PC) equipment," according to the project's Statement of Need. The project was called "Phiple Troenix" and the resulting system was named "Carnivore." Phiple Troenix's estimated price tag of $800,000 included training for personnel at the Bureau's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC). The Omnivore project was formally closed down in June 1999, at a final cost of $900,000. Carnivore version 1.2 was released in September 1999; as of May 2000, it was in version 1.3.4. At that time it was subjected to an exhaustive series of carefully prescribed tests under variable conditions. The results, according to an internal memo, were positive. "Carnivore is remarkably tolerant of network aberration, such as speed change, data corruption and targeted smurf type attacks." An "Enhanced Carnivore" project began in November 1999 and is scheduled to conclude in January of next year, at a total cost of $650,000. Some of the documents indicate that the Bureau plans to add more features to versions 2.0 and 3.0 of Carnivore, but the details have been mostly redacted. The next installment of Carnivore documents is scheduled to be released to EPIC in mid-November. EPIC has posted scanned images of selected documents at: http://www.epic.org/privacy/carnivore/foia_documents.html ======================================================================= [2] Congressional Office Seeks Access to Census and IRS Data ======================================================================= In a secretive assault on Americans' privacy, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is seeking access to confidential Census Bureau records, as well as confidential financial data collected by the Internal Revenue Service. Congressional supporters of the CBO's data grab are attempting to insert into any of several pending appropriations bills language that would authorize the unprecedented disclosure of Census and IRS information. The CBO proposal seeks the data, which is currently kept strictly confidential under federal law, in order to make long-term projections about the viability of the Social Security and Medicare programs. The initiative is being opposed and publicized by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), who has accused the CBO of trying to sneak its proposal through the complex appropriations process currently ongoing as Congress rushes toward adjournment. In a letter sent to leaders of the House Appropriations Committee on October 11, Rep. Maloney said that "changing the law that protects the confidentiality of census data in the middle of the 2000 Census, behind closed doors and with no public debate, sends the wrong signal to the American public." She cited widespread privacy concerns that were expressed earlier this year after the Census Bureau's long-form questionnaire sought answers to a number of intrusive personal questions (see EPIC Alert 7.06). The attempted disclosure is also opposed by Commerce Secretary Norman Mineta, who told Congressional leaders that the proposal would weaken "the most important legal structure protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all Americans, with regard to the private information they provide the Census Bureau." Saying that he is "adamantly opposed" to the proposal, Mineta noted that CBO's initiative "would threaten public confidence in the confidentiality of all information collected by the Census Bureau and other data collecting agencies." According to a coalition of consumer and privacy groups, another last-minute amendment could detrimentally affect personal privacy. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) has attached his Social Security number proposal, S. 2554, to the Commerce-Justice-State Appropriations Bill. The amendment would not effectively increase protections over Social Security numbers, but would pre-empt the ability of states to provide stronger protections on their own. A letter from consumer and privacy groups opposing the amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill is available at: http://www.pirg.org/consumer/greggssn.htm ======================================================================= [3] Capitol Hill Hearings Focus on Internet Consumer Privacy ======================================================================= On October 2, EPIC testified before the Senate Commerce Committee on a trio of Internet privacy bills introduced by Committee members: S. 809, the "Online Privacy Protection Act"; S. 2606, the "Consumer Privacy Protection Act"; and S. 2928, the "Consumer Internet Privacy Enhancement Act." In testimony before the full Committee, EPIC argued that there is widespread public support for privacy legislation, a substantive privacy law will require more than the posting of privacy policies, and protections should provide multiple enforcement mechanisms. In its conclusion, EPIC argued that among the three bills, S. 2606 provides the most robust legal framework for privacy protection. More recently, on October 11, EPIC testified before the House Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications Trade and Consumer Protection. The hearing on "Recent Developments in Privacy Protections for Consumers" touched on the privacy practices of both government and commercial websites. In its testimony, EPIC pointed to both online profiling and the recent trend of companies claiming customer data as assets in bankruptcy proceedings as evidence of the need for baseline privacy standards. The testimony went on to argue that strong laws would give consumer long-needed privacy rights in the online world and would provide necessary support for developing privacy enhancing technologies. In a related development, a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the National Consumers League found that more Americans are "very concerned" about loss of personal privacy than they are about health care, crime, or taxes. Seventy-one percent of respondents also believed that it is absolutely essential that companies ask permission before using personal information, and 34 percent incorrectly believed that it is illegal for companies to share or sell personal data. EPIC's testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee on October 2: http://www.epic.org/privacy/internet/testimony_1000.html EPIC's testimony before the House Commerce Committee on October 11: http://www.epic.org/privacy/internet/shen_testimony_1000.html Results of the National Consumers League survey: http://nclnet.org/essentials/ ======================================================================= [4] New At-Large Members Elected to ICANN Board ======================================================================= Five new members have been elected to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Board of Directors. The five new members are the first publicly elected members of the Board and will take their posts following ICANN's November meeting in Los Angeles. Nii Quaynor, an employee of Network Computer Systems and administrator for the .gh domain (Ghana), was the winner in the Africa region. Masanobu Katoh, an employee of Fujitsu living in the United States, placed first in the Asia/Australia/Pacific region. In the European region Andy Mueller-Maguhn of the Chaos Computer Club was selected. Ivan Moura Campos, the chief executive of Akwan Information Technologies, is the representative for the Latin America and Caribbean region. Cisco engineer and outspoken ICANN critic Karl Auerbach placed first in the North America region. The views of all five members on civil society issues can be found at the website of the Internet Democracy Project. Earlier this month, the Internet Democracy Project co-sponsored two events on the ICANN elections. The "ICANN Candidates Forum" was held on October 2 at the Harvard Law School in cooperation with the Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Another event -- "ICANN and Internet Privatization: Technical Coordination or Cyberspace Governance?" -- was held on October 4 in cooperation with the Technology & Culture Forum at MIT. Cybercasts of both events are available online. ICANN will meet next in Los Angeles on November 13-17, 2000. Participants are expected to discuss the introduction of new top-level domains. The following ICANN meeting will be held in Melbourne, Australia on March 10-13, 2001. Results of the 2000 At-Large Membership Vote: http://www.election.com/us/icann/icannresult.html Homepage of the Internet Democracy Project: http://www.internetdemocracyproject.org/ Information on the upcoming ICANN Meeting in Marina del Rey, November 13-17, 2000: http://www.icann.org/mdr2000/ ======================================================================= [5] NIST Selects New Advanced Encryption Standard ======================================================================= On October 2, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) selected a new algorithm to be used as the government's official encryption standard for the 21st century. Rijndael, named after its Belgian creators Joan Daemen and Vincent Rijmen, will replace the Data Encryption Standard (DES), adopted by the federal government as the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) since 1977. The search for a new Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) was announced by the NIST in 1997. By March 1999, the pool of candidates was narrowed to five finalists: MARS, RC6, Rijndael, Serpent, and Twofish. Rijndael was chosen for its combination of "security, performance, efficiency, ease of implementation and flexibility." Rijndael will now be the official scrambling standard for all U.S. federal government agencies. As it will be available for use royalty-free worldwide, it is also likely to be widely adopted for use by private sector companies both nationally and internationally. The weakness of the Data Encryption Standard, which relied on 56 bit encryption keys, was demonstrated in a series of DES Cracker Projects sponsored by RSA Laboratories in 1997, 1998 and 1999. Relying on specialized "DES Cracker" machines, code breakers were eventually able to recover DES keys in a matter of hours. The AES will use three key sizes: 128, 192 and 256 bits. It is estimated that it would take longer than the life of the universe to crack the AES (!!). For complete AES-related information visit the AES home page at: http://www.nist.gov/aes For more information on the RSA's DES Challenges visit: http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/challenges/ ======================================================================= [6] Supreme Court to Hear Thermal Imaging Case ======================================================================= On September 26, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case that presents the question whether the use of a device that detects heat emanating from a home constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment. The petitioner, Danny Lee Kyllo, was arrested in 1992 by Oregon officials for growing marijuana in his home. To obtain the evidence for the arrest, the police used (without a warrant) a thermal imaging device that detects heat emanations inside a home. After discovering Kyllo's home was warmer than neighboring buildings, police then obtained a warrant and searched Kyllo's home and found evidence of criminal conduct. Kyllo pleaded guilty to charges of growing marijuana but challenged the constitutionality of the use of the thermal imaging device absent a warrant. The case is on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit which held in a 2-1 decision that the use of thermal imaging technology did not constitute a search. Writing for the majority, Judge Hawkins said the use of the device was not a search since its use did not reveal any intimate details. Further, use of the device did not violate any reasonable expectation of privacy since Kyllo made no attempt to conceal heat emissions, thus "demonstrating a lack of concern with the heat emitted and a lack of a subjective privacy expectation in the heat." In his dissent, Judge Noonan responded that It is strange to focus on the homeowner's non-existent expectation as to emissions. The homeowner's expectation is directed to the privacy of the interior of his home. It is that expectation which the Fourth Amendment is intended to protect. While several federal Courts of Appeals have agreed with the Ninth Circuit's decision that use of thermal imaging devices does not constitute a search, other District and State Supreme Courts have held that a warrant requirement should apply. More information about Kyllo v. U.S. (No. 99-8508) is available at: http://www.supremecourtus.gov/ ======================================================================= [7] EPIC Bookstore - Think UNIX ======================================================================= Think UNIX by Jon Lasser http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=2-078972376x-0 Unix has a reputation for being cryptic and difficult to learn, but it doesn't need to be that way. Think Unix takes an analogous approach to that of a grammar book. Rather than teaching individual words or phrases like most books, Think Unix teaches the set of logical structures to be learned. Myriad examples help you learn individual commands, and practice problems at the end of difficult sections help you learn the practical side of Unix. Strong attention is paid to learning how to read "man pages," the standard documentation on all Unix systems, including Linux. While most books simply tell you that man pages exist and spend some time teaching how to use the man command, none spend any significant amount of space teaching how to use the content of the man pages. Even if you are lost at the Unix command prompt, you can learn subsystems that are specific to the Unix flavor. Teaches how to use Unix effectively for everyday tasks by teaching the design model A succinct introduction to Unix for advanced computer users that teaches the basics but also provides a framework for additional learning. ================================ EPIC Publications: "Privacy & Human Rights 2000: An International Survey of Privacy Laws and Developments," David Banisar, author (EPIC 2000). Price: $20. http://www.epic.org/phr/ This survey, by EPIC and Privacy International, reviews the state of privacy in over fifty countries around the world. The survey examines a wide range of privacy issues including, data protection, telephone tapping, genetic databases, ID systems and freedom of information laws. ================================ "The Privacy Law Sourcebook 2000: United States Law, International Law, and Recent Developments," Marc Rotenberg, editor (EPIC 2000). Price: $40. http://www.epic.org/pls/ The "Physicians Desk Reference of the privacy world." An invaluable resource for students, attorneys, researchers and journalists who need an up-to-date collection of U.S. and International privacy law, as well as a comprehensive listing of privacy resources. ================================ "Cryptography and Liberty 2000: An International Survey of Encryption Policy," Wayne Madsen and David Banisar, editors (EPIC 2000). Price: $20. http://www.epic.org/crypto&/ EPIC's third survey of encryption policies around the world. The results indicate that the efforts to reduce export controls on strong encryption products have largely succeeded, although several governments are gaining new powers to combat the perceived threats of encryption to law enforcement. ================================ "Filters and Freedom - Free Speech Perspectives on Internet Content Controls," David Sobel, editor (EPIC 1999). Price: $20. http://www.epic.org/filters&freedom/ A collection of essays, studies, and critiques of Internet content filtering. These papers are instrumental in explaining why filtering threatens free expression. ================================ Additional titles on privacy, open government, free expression, computer security, and crypto, as well as films and DVDs can be ordered through the EPIC Bookstore: http://www.epic.org/bookstore/ ======================================================================= [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events ======================================================================= Drawing the Blinds: Reconstructing Privacy in the Information Age. CPSR's Annual Conference and Wiener Award Dinner. October 14, 2000. Philadelphia, PA. For more information: http://www.cpsr.org Gore/Bush Forum on Privacy. Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies, George Washington University. Rep. Markey will be presenting the views of Vice President Gore and Senior Advisor Stephen Goldsmith the approach of Governor Bush. October 16, 2000. Washington, DC. For more information: comnet@gwu.edu Identity Theft Victim Assistance Workshop. Federal Trade Commission. October 23-24, 2000. Washington, DC. For more information: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/idtheft/index.html Identity Theft Prevention Workshop. Social Security Administration. October 25, 2000. Washington, DC. For more information: http://www.ssa.gov/oig/IDTheft.htm Privacy2000: Information and Security in the Digital Age. October 31- November 1, 2000. Columbus, Ohio. For more information: http://www.privacy2000.org Mealey's Internet Law 101 Conference. November 1-2, 2000. Tysons Corner, VA. For more information: seminars@mealeys.com 2000 BNA Public Policy Forum: e-commerce and internet regulation. November 15-16, 2000. Tysons Corner, VA. For more information: http://internetconference.pf.com 16th Annual Computer Security Applications Conference (ACSAC). December 11-15, 2000. New Orleans, Louisiana. For more information: http://www.acsac.org Network and Distributed System Security Symposium (NDSS '01). Internet Society. February 7-9, 2001. San Diego, CA. For more information: http://www.isoc.org/ndss01/ Online, Offshore and Cross-Border: Regulating Global E-Commerce. Washington College of Law, American University. March 30, 2001. Washington, DC. For more information: http://www.wcl.american.edu ======================================================================= Subscription Information ======================================================================= The EPIC Alert is a free biweekly publication of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. A Web-based form is available for subscribing or unsubscribing at: http://www.epic.org/alert/subscribe.html To subscribe or unsubscribe using email, send email to epic-news@epic.org with the subject: "subscribe" (no quotes) or "unsubscribe". Back issues are available at: http://www.epic.org/alert/ ======================================================================= Privacy Policy ======================================================================= The EPIC Alert mailing list is used only to mail the EPIC Alert and to send notices about EPIC activities. We do not sell, rent or share our mailing list. We also intend to challenge any subpoena or other legal process seeking access to our mailing list. We do not enhance (link to other databases) our mailing list or require your actual name. In the event you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe your email address from this list, please follow the above instructions under "subscription information". Please contact info@epic.org if you have any other questions. ======================================================================= About EPIC ======================================================================= The Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research center in Washington, DC. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging privacy issues such as the Clipper Chip, the Digital Telephony proposal, national ID cards, medical record privacy, and the collection and sale of personal information. EPIC is sponsored by the Fund for Constitutional Government, a non-profit organization established in 1974 to protect civil liberties and constitutional rights. EPIC publishes the EPIC Alert, pursues Freedom of Information Act litigation, and conducts policy research. For more information, e-mail info@epic.org, http://www.epic.org or write EPIC, 1718 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009. +1 202 483 1140 (tel), +1 202 483 1248 (fax). If you'd like to support the work of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, contributions are welcome and fully tax-deductible. Checks should be made out to "The Fund for Constitutional Government" and sent to EPIC, 1718 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20009. Your contributions will help support Freedom of Information Act and First Amendment litigation, strong and effective advocacy for the right of privacy and efforts to oppose government regulation of encryption and expanding wiretapping powers. Thank you for your support. ---------------------- END EPIC Alert 7.18 ----------------------- . - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ End of Telecom Digest V2000 #85 *******************************