ACM
USACM and CRA Urge Congress to Support NIST Labs
European Union Enacts New Copyright Enforcement Directive
Lawsuits Over Ballot Printers Advance
Two More States Opt-out of MATRIX Project
White House Defends Science Policy
Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference to be held April 20 to 23
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USACM and CRA Urge Congress to Support NIST Labs
USACM and the Computing Research Association (CRA) have sent a joint letter to the leadership of the US Congress seeking full funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Laboratory Program during the FY 2005 appropriations process.
The NIST Labs have played an important role in the progress of computing research and the emergence of new scientific disciplines like bioinformatics and nanotechnology. Within NIST's Labs, the Computer Security Division (CSD) has played a historic role in computer security by conducting security research on emerging technologies, promoting security assessment techniques, providing security management guidance, and facilitating a greater awareness of the need for security. In particular, USACM and CRA cited NIST's efforts to work in partnership with industry and the computing research community in the development of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) as an example of the agency's effectiveness at blending science and technology with commerce.
Current work underway at the NIST labs will have an important impact in cybersecurity and voting technologies, semiconductor manufacturing, and nanotechnology research that could drive future advancements in computing in ways of benefit to society. USACM and CRA expressed concern that much of this important work is in jeopardy as a result of funding levels enacted during the FY 2004 appropriations process. The groups concluded that Congress should make NIST funding a priority for FY 2005 to ensure that the agency's labs continue to produce materials trusted by the community, joint collaborations with academic and industrial researchers are maintained, and vital standards-orientated work continues.
To review the USACM and CRA letter to Congress, see:
http://www.cra.org/govaffairs/blog/CRA-ACMJointNISTLetter.pdf
To review the web site of NIST's labs, see:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/labs2.htm
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European Union Enacts New Copyright Enforcement Directive
On March 9, the European Parliament enacted the European Union Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive. A provision of the Directive (Article 21) that sought to establish legal protections for technical devices in a manner similar to the anticircumvention provisions of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was not included in the Directive. However, the Directive contains many ambiguous and potentially far-reaching intellectual property provisions that continue to shift the traditional balance in copyright law towards the rights of content owners. The provisions include entertainment industry priorities such as creating private rights of action for copyright enforcements involving Peer-to-Peer file sharing (P2P) and providing broad new subpoena powers to investigate ISP subscribers involved in such acts.
Several organizations sought to have the Directive's more onerous provisions stricken from the final text. Such groups included the IP Justice Campaign for an Open Digital Environment (CODE), European Digital Rights (EDRi), Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) and the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure (FFII). A set of amendments to narrow the scope of the Directive to cover only commercial infringements was unsuccessful. With approval by the Parliament and Council, European Union Member States now have 24 months in which to implement the provisions of the Directive in their own countries.
More information about the Directive is available on the IP Justice web site at:
http://www.ipjustice.org
The text of the Directive may be found at:
http://www.ipjustice.org/CODE/021604.html
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Lawsuits Over Ballot Printers Advance
Concerns over the use of electronic voting (evoting) machines that do not produce a paper audit trail have reached a federal court as the result of a federal lawsuit filed on March 8 by U.S. Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) and other elected officials from Florida. The suit seeks the mandatory use of ballot printers in elections. It cites the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution and the precedent set by Bush v. Gore in the 2000 presidential election in claiming that it is unconstitutional for 52 counties in Florida to have a means to conduct a recount, while 15 other Florida counties with touch-screen voting machines have a paperless system not allowing for a recount.
Wexler and other plaintiffs have also filed a state lawsuit arguing that paperless touch-screen voting machines violate Florida's election law that requires manual recounts in close elections. On March 22, an expedited trial schedule was issued for the federal lawsuit. One day later, the state lawsuit was granted an expedited calendar. Further legal action in both legal matters is expected within 50 days.
For more information and updates about the federal and state lawsuits over ballot printers, see Congressman Wexler's web site at:
http://www.wexler.house.gov/
Since computer systems are inherently subject to programming error, equipment malfunction, and malicious tampering, USACM continues to recommend that a voter-verified audit trail be one of the essential requirements for deployment of new voting systems. For more information about USACM's evoting activities, see:
http://www.acm.org/usacm/Issues/EVoting.htm
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Two More States Opt-out of MATRIX Project
Wisconsin and New York have dropped out of the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX) project. MATRIX is a pilot project that facilitates information sharing and exchange of terrorism-related information among members of the law enforcement community. MATRIX attempts to provide local and state law enforcement with a technological, investigative tool allowing query-based searches of available state and public records. As envisioned by its proponents, MATRIX could allow an investigator to conduct a query using incomplete information, such as a portion of a vehicle license number, and assemble information matching the partial description. However, a number of privacy and consumer rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have raised concerns that MATRIX could be used to mine computer files for details about ordinary citizens without adequate privacy safeguards or based on inaccurate data.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement launched MATRIX with federal funds provided by the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice. States participating in the project are asked to contribute about $2 million a year. While over a dozen states have participated to date, the recent decision by Wisconsin and New York to drop out leaves the current number of states actively participating at five, including: Florida, Connecticut, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
To review the Institute for Intergovernmental Research's MATRIX web page, see:
http://www.matrix-at.org/
To review the ACLU's MATRIX web page, see:
http://www.aclu.org/Privacy/Privacy.cfm?ID=14240&c=130
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White House Defends Science Policy
The Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently released a 20-page document in defense of the Bush Administration's decision-making that impacts the development of scientific and environmental policy. OSTP was compelled to release the document in response to concerns raised by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). In a March UCS statement signed by 19 National Medal of Science signatories, 20 Nobel Laureates, and 3 Crafoord Prize winners, UCS alleges that the Bush administration has suppressed or distorted the scientific analyses of federal agencies to bring these results in line with administration policy. In addition, UCS contends that irregularities in the appointment of scientific advisors and advisory panels are threatening to upset the legally mandated balance of these bodies. The OSTP document rebuts the UCS allegations.
To review the statement released by UCS, see:
http://www.ucsusa.org/global_environment/rsi/page.cfm?pageID=1322
To review the White House OSTP's rebuttal to the UCS statement, see:
http://www.ostp.gov/html/ucs.html
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Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference to be held April 20 to 23
Sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery, the 14th Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conference (CFP2004) will be held on April 20-23 at the Claremont Resort and Spa, Berkeley, California. As in past years, CFP2004 will explore the most important policy issues facing the Internet and freedom, including: the role of technology in providing national security and preserving individual privacy and freedom in the post-9-11 world; the impact of new legal and technical developments on the Internet's utility as a medium for disseminating and archiving information, interacting with individuals, and culture; the role of computer and telecommunications technologies in the political process; and other important and timely issues. Speakers include USACM members Barbara Simons and David Dill, as well as other leaders from industry, academia, and organizations such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Public Knowledge.
To review the program or to register for CFP2004, see:
http://www.cfp2004.org
To review the White House OSTP's rebuttal to the UCS statement, see:
http://www.ostp.gov/html/ucs.html
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