ACM Media Release

December 7, 2001

For More Information Contact:

Jeff Grove (202) 659-9711 or Virginia Gold (212) 626-0505

ASSOCIATION FOR COMPUTING MACHINERY (ACM) ASSEMBLES

EXPERTS TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE ON SECURITY AND PRIVACY

Washington D.C., December 7, 2001. Prompted by increased public concerns about personal privacy and the security of networked information systems, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) today announced the formation of a new Advisory Committee on Security and Privacy (ACSP). Led by Peter Neumann and Eugene H. Spafford, the ACSP brings together a dozen leaders and innovators in the field of privacy and information assurance to serve as a powerful resource for the ACM community and the public at large.

Comprising experts from research, industry, academia, and government, the diverse group represents a wide range of viewpoints. Commenting on the formation of the ACSP, Co-Chair Peter Neumann noted, "The ACSP will provide timely and accurate assessments of situations relating to information security that are otherwise clouded by confusion, uncertainty, and often, misinformation."

Added ACSP Co-Chair Gene Spafford, "Until recently, computing professionals have been primarily concerned with making computers work consistently, cheaply, and effectively. Now it is critical that we also bring expertise to bear on how computers can be made to operate safely, keep information resources secure from attack, and protect privacy."

The ACSP consists of 12 distinguished members with expertise in information security and assurance, privacy, cybercrime, and allied fields. The group will coordinate with other ACM Committees, including the U.S. ACM Committee on Public Policy (USACM) and ACM Law Committee, to provide objective advice to the computing community, the public at large, and to policy-makers. ACSP is expected to provide statements and testimony on information security and privacy issues, as well as undertaking studies of related topics.  For more information about the ACSP, see the web site at: http://www.acm.org/usacm/ACSP/homepage.htm>. 

Members of the ACSP (affiliations provided for identification purposes only):

Steve Bellovin (AT&T Labs Research)

Matthew Blaze (AT&T Labs Research)

David Clark (MIT)

Dorothy Denning (Georgetown University)

Ed Felten (Princeton University)

David Farber (University of Pennsylvania)

Susan Landau (Sun Microsystems)

Robert Morris (Dartmouth College)

Peter Neumann (SRI International)

Fred Schneider (Cornell University)

Eugene H. Spafford (Purdue University CERIAS)

Willis Ware (RAND Corporation)

About the ACM

The ACM is a leading society of computer professionals in education, industry, and government. Founded in 1947, ACM is a world-class resource for the information technology field. The USACM facilitates communication between computer professionals and policy-makers on issues of concern to the computing community. For more information, visit the USACM web site at <http://www.acm.org/usacm/ACSP/homepage.htm>.