Computer-Related Political Groups
=================================
This document is included in the PGP software release package. PGP
is "Pretty Good Privacy", a public-key encryption program from Philip
Zimmermann.
PGP is a very political piece of software. It seems appropriate to
mention here some computer-related activist groups that are concerned
with issues such as impacts of computers on society, algorithm
patents, etc. Here is some information on these groups, provided by
each group.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
----------------------------------------
Last Updated: 14 June 1993
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was founded in July, 1990,
to assure freedom of expression in digital media, with a particular
emphasis on applying the principles embodied in the Constitution and
the Bill of Rights to computer-based communication.
From the beginning, EFF was determined to become an organization that
would combine technical, legal and public policy expertise, and would
apply these skills to the myriad issues and concerns that arise
whenever a new communications medium is born.
By remaining faithful to this initial vision, EFF has become an
organized voice for the burgeoning community of nationally and inter-
nationally networked computer users. We perform the multiple roles of
guardian, advocate and innovator, to serve and protect the public
interest in the information age.
GOALS OF THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION, 1993
EFF's mission is to understand the opportunities and challenges of
digital communications, in order to foster openness, individual
freedom and community. We expect to carry out our mission through
activities in the following areas:
POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND ADVOCACY. EFF has been working to
promote an open architecture for telecommunications by various
means, including the Open Platform Initiative, the fight against the
FBI's Digital Telephony wiretap proposal, and efforts to free robust
encryption technologies from NSA control.
FOSTERING COMMUNITY. Much of the work we have done has been directed
at fostering a sense of community in the online world. Because we
realize that we know far less about the conditions conducive to the
formation of virtual communities than is necessary to be effective in
creating them, we will devote a large portion of our R & D resources
to developing better understanding in this area.
LEGAL SERVICES. EFF was born to defend the rights of computer users
against overzealous and uninformed law enforcement officials. This
continues to be an important focus of EFF's work. We provide legal
information to individuals who request it and support for attorneys
who are litigating. We maintain print and online legal archives,
disseminate this information, and make it available for downloading.
Our board and staff are continuously engaged in writing and speaking
about these issues.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. We have started many projects over the years
as their need became apparent. Going forward, EFF will allocate
resources to investigate and initiate new projects. To ensure that
our projects have the greatest impact and can reasonably be completed
with the resources available, EFF will sharpen its selection and
review process.
MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
If you support our goals and our work, you can show that support by
becoming a member now. Members receive our bi-weekly electronic
newsletter, EFFector Online (if you have an electronic address that
can be reached through the Net), answers to your legal questions,
special releases and other notices on our activities. (Because we
believe that support should be freely given, you can receive these
things even if you do not elect to become a member.) Your membership
dues and other donations are fully tax deductible.
OUR ADDRESSES
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1001 G St., NW
Suite 950 East
Washington, DC 20001
+1 202 347 5400
+1 202 393 5509 FAX
Internet: eff@eff.org
MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
=============================================================
Print out and mail to:
Membership Coordinator
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1001 G St., NW, Suite 950 East, Washington, DC 20001
I wish to become a member of EFF. I enclose: $_______
$20.00 (student or low income membership) $40.00 (regular membership)
Name:
Organization:
Address:
City or Town:
State: Zip: Phone (optional): ( )
FAX (optional): ( )
Email address:
I enclose a check [ ].
Please charge my membership in the amount of $________ to my
Mastercard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ]
Number:
Expiration date:
Signature: ________________________________________________
Date:
Our privacy policy: The Electronic Frontier Foundation will never sell
any part of our membership list. We will, from time to time, share
this list with other nonprofit organizations whose work we determine
to be in line with our goals. However, you must explicitly grant us
permission to share your name with these other groups. Member privacy
is our default.
I hereby grant permission to EFF to share my name with other
nonprofit groups from time to time as it deems appropriate.
[ ] Initials:___________________________
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
------------------------------------------------
CPSR empowers computer professionals and computer users to advocate
for the responsible use of information technology and empowers all
who use computer technology to participate in the public debate. As
technical experts, CPSR members provide the public and policymakers
with realistic assessments of the power, promise, and limitations of
computer technology. As an organization of concerned citizens, CPSR
directs public attention to critical choices concerning the
applications of computing and how those choices affect society.
By matching unimpeachable technical information with policy
development savvy, CPSR uses minimum dollars to have maximum impact
and encourages broad public participation in the shaping of
technology policy.
Every project we undertake is based on five principles:
* We foster and support public discussion of and public
responsibility for decisions involving the use of computers in
systems critical to society.
* We work to dispel popular myths about the infallibility of
technological systems.
* We challenge the assumption that technology alone can solve
political and social problems.
* We critically examine social and technical issues within
the computer profession, nationally and internationally.
* We encourage the use of computer technology to improve the
quality of life.
Founded in 1981 by a small group of computer scientists concerned
about the use of computers in nuclear weapons systems, CPSR has grown
into a national public-interest alliance of computer industry
professionals dedicated to examining the impact of technology on
society.
Currently, CPSR has 21 chapters in the U.S. and affiliations with
similar groups worldwide. In addition to our National Office in Palo
Alto, CPSR maintains offices in Washington D.C. and Cambridge,
Massachusetts.
CPSR PROJECTS
As computer technology becomes increasingly pervasive, the issues
facing us become more complex. CPSR provides a forum where we can
examine technology's impact on our lives, the lives of our fellow
citizens, and on society as a whole. By sponsoring both national and
local projects, CPSR serves as a catalyst for in-depth discussion and
effective action in key areas:
Civil Liberties and Privacy
The 21st Century Project: Technology Policy and Human Needs
Workplace Issues and Participatory Design
Reliability and Risk
In addition, CPSR's chapter-based projects and national working
groups tackle issues ranging from the development of nanotechnology
and virtual reality to computing and ethics to community computing to
computers and education.
HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER
CPSR is a democratically organized grass roots alliance. Our
accomplishments are the result of the member activism. Many CPSR
members serve as national organizers
Just fill out the membership form, enclose a check and mail it to
CPSR, P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, CA 94301.
CPSR's cost to provide members with services is covered by the $75
dues. To keep CPSR membership open to a wide range of people, we
offer dues levels of $20 and $50.
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
When you become a member of CPSR, you are joining a nationwide
network of computer professionals who are committed to bringing
social responsibility to all aspects of computer technology. CPSR
sponsors, supports, and participates in conferences, roundtables and
meetings on advanced issues in computing, local civic networks,
cryptography, participatory design, and computers and social change.
Every fall the CPSR Annual Meeting brings together the foremost
representatives of the technology industry to explore current topics
in seminars and panel discussions. Our conferences and chapter
meetings provide important opportunities to meet other members and
share ideas and expertise.
OTHER MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS INCLUDE:
* a quarterly newsletter which provides in-depth analysis of key
issues in computing as well as updates on CPSR activities and
action alerts,
* an organized voice for socially responsible computing in
Washington,
* well-researched public testimony and public policy development,
* invitations and discounts to CPSR events,
* discounts on research papers, books, and educational videotapes,
* on-line information and discussion of key issues in computing,
* membership in a local CPSR chapter (where available) and notices
of chapter meetings and activities,
* participation in local and national working groups which allow you
to have effective impact on the issues you care about,
* information and referral about crucial issues in computing.
ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION
CPSR National Office
P.O. Box 717
Palo Alto, CA 94301
415-322-3778
415-322-3798 (FAX)
E-mail: cpsr@csli.stanford.edu
CPSR Cambridge Office
P.O. Box 962
Cambridge, MA 02142
617-625-6985
chapman@lcs.mit.edu
CPSR Washington Office
666 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Suite 303
Washington, D.C. 20003
202-544-9240
202-547-5481 FAX
rotenberg@washofc.cpsr.org
Staff
Managing Director, Evelyn Pine
Assistant to the Director, Nikki Draper
Cambridge Office Director, Gary Chapman
Washington Office Director, Marc Rotenberg
PRIVACY NOTICE: The CPSR membership database is never sold, rented,
lent, exchanged, or used for anything other than official CPSR
activity. CPSR may elect to send members mailings with information
from other groups, but the mailings will always originate with CPSR.
====================== clip and mail ==========================
CPSR MEMBERSHIP FORM
Name _________________________________________________________
Address _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
City/State/Zip __________________________________________________
Home phone ____________________ Work phone _____________________
Company _________________________________________________________
Type of work ____________________________________________________
E-mail address __________________________________________________
CPSR Chapter
__ Acadiana __ Austin __ Berkeley
__ Boston __ Chicago __ Denver/Boulder
__ Los Angeles __ Madison __ Maine
__ Milwaukee __ Minnesota __ New Haven
__ New York __ Palo Alto __ Philadelphia
__ Pittsburgh __ Portland __ San Diego
__ Santa Cruz __ Seattle __ Washington, DC
__ No chapter in my area
CPSR Membership Categories
__ $ 75 REGULAR MEMBER
__ $ 50 Basic member
__ $ 200 Supporting member
__ $ 500 Sponsoring member
__ $1000 Lifetime member
__ $ 20 Student/low income member
__ $ 50 Foreign subscriber
__ $ 50 Library/institutional subscriber
Additional tax-deductible contribution to support CPSR projects:
__ $50 __ $75 __ $100 __ $250
__ $500 __ $1000 __ Other
Total Enclosed: $ ________
Make check out to CPSR and mail to:
CPSR
P.O. Box 717
Palo Alto, CA 94301
--
The League for Programming Freedom
----------------------------------
Protect Your Freedom to Write Programs
Join the League for Programming Freedom
(Version of January 15, 1993)
Ten years ago, programmers were allowed to write programs using all
the techniques they knew, and providing whatever features they felt
were useful. This is no longer the case. New monopolies, known as
software patents and interface copyrights, have taken away our
freedom of expression and our ability to do a good job.
"Look and feel" lawsuits attempt to monopolize well-known command
languages; some have succeeded. Copyrights on command languages
enforce gratuitous incompatibility, close opportunities for
competition, and stifle incremental improvements.
Software patents are even more dangerous; they make every design
decision in the development of a program carry a risk of a lawsuit,
with draconian pretrial seizure. It is difficult and expensive to
find out whether the techniques you consider using are patented; it
is impossible to find out whether they will be patented in the
future.
The League for Programming Freedom is a grass-roots organization of
professors, students, businessmen, programmers and users dedicated to
bringing back the freedom to write programs. The League is not
opposed to the legal system that Congress intended--copyright on
individual programs. Our aim is to reverse the recent changes made
by judges in response to special interests, often explicitly
rejecting the public interest principles of the Constitution.
The League works to abolish the new monopolies by publishing
articles, talking with public officials, boycotting egregious
offenders, and in the future may intervene in court cases. On May
24, 1989, the League picketed Lotus headquarters on account of their
lawsuits, and then again on August 2, 1990. These marches stimulated
widespread media coverage for the issue. We welcome suggestions for
other activities, as well as help in carrying them out.
Membership dues in the League are $42 per year for programmers,
managers and professionals; $10.50 for students; $21 for others.
Please give more if you can. The League's funds will be used for
filing briefs; for printing handouts, buttons and signs; whatever
will persuade the courts, the legislators, and the people. You may
not get anything personally for your dues--except for the freedom to
write programs. The League is a non-profit corporation, but not
considered a tax-exempt charity. However, for those self-employed in
software, the dues can be a business expense.
The League needs both activist members and members who only pay their
dues. We also greatly need additional corporate members; contact us
for information.
If you have any questions, please write to the League, phone
(617) 433-7071, or send Internet mail to lpf@uunet.uu.net
Jack Larsen, President
Dean Anderson, Secretary
Steve Sisak, Treasurer
Jack Larsen can be contacted at (708) 698-1160; Fax (708) 698-6221.
To join, please send a check and the following information to:
League for Programming Freedom
1 Kendall Square #143
P.O.Box 9171
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
(Outside the US, please send a check in US dollars on a bank having a
US correspondant bank, to save us check cashing fees.)
Your name:
The address for League mailings, a few each year; please indicate
whether it is your home address or your work address:
The company you work for, and your position:
Your phone numbers (home, work or both):
Your email address, so we can contact you for demonstrations or for
writing letters. (If you don't want us to contact you for these
things, please say so, but please give us your email address anyway
so we can save paper and postage by sending you the newsletter by
email.)
Is there anything about you which would enable your endorsement of
the LPF to impress the public? For example, if you are or have been
a professor or an executive, or have written software that has a good
reputation, please tell us.
Would you like to help with LPF activities?
The corporate charter of the League for Programming Freedom states:
The purpose of the corporation is to engage in the following
activities:
1. To determine the existence of, and warn the public about
restrictions and monopolies on classes of computer programs where such
monopolies prevent or restrict the right to develop certain types of
computer programs.
2. To develop countermeasures and initiatives, in the public interest,
effective to block or otherwise prevent or restrain such monopolistic
activities including education, research, publications, public
assembly, legislative testimony, and intervention in court proceedings
involving public interest issues (as a friend of the court).
3. To engage in any business or other activity in service of and
related to the foregoing paragraphs that lawfully may be carried on
by a corporation organized under Chapter 180 of the Massachusetts
General Laws.
The officers and directors of the League will be elected annually by
the members.
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