Date: Thu, 20 Oct 1994 20:19:01 -0700 From: Jim Warren Subject: GovAccess.081: notes from my govt-access talk at IRE Conf Fo' whatever they may be worth ... --jim ====== TRANSPARENCIES FROM TALK - INVESTIGATIVE REPORTERS & EDITORS CONFERENCE October, 1994, Santa Clara, California [slightly modified and converted to ASCII] California Government Online: Old War Stories; Evident Futures [The old war stories were of how AB 1624 was aided by net-based action, and how quickly AB 2451 was killed by its author after net-based opposition -- fun monologue; no transparencies. I used the remainder of the time to briefly describe a few key bills and ex-bills, and outline network and civic-net information and issues, and offer pointers to sources -- which is the subject of most of these slides. --jim] Jim Warren 345 Swett Road Woodside CA 94062 (415)851-7075; fax/(415)851-2814 jwarren@well.com -or- jwarren@autodesk.com [the often-obligatory self-inflating puffery] "Futures" columnist & Contributing Editor, MicroTimes Public-access columnist, Government Technology Government-access columnist, BoardWatch Member, Board of Directors, Autodesk, Inc. Soc. of Prof. Journalists Freedom-of-Information Award (1994) Electronic Frontier Foundation Pioneer Award (1992) Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award (Nov., 1994) Founder, Conferences on Computers, Freedom & Privacy Founding Editor, Dr. Dobb's Journal of Computing Founding host, PBS TV's "Computer Chronicles" Founder, InfoWorld (etc., etc., etc.) Graduate degrees: Computer Engineering, Stanford University Medical Info.Sci., Univ.of Calif.Med.Ctr. - San Francisco Mathematics & Statistics, Univ.of Texas - Austin ====== How big is the net (the Internet)? Accurate numbers for often-shared host-computers, July, 1994: [source: Internet Society news release, 4 Aug. 1994 (rev.) ] type of host-owner suffix # of hosts % of global since 1/94 US-higher education [edu] 856,234 27% 41% US-commercial [com] 774,735 24% 36% US-government [gov] 169,248 5% 31% US-defense [mil] 130,176 4% 26% US-non-profits [org] 66,459 2% 31% US-network operator [net] 30,993 1% 146% US-local 16,556 1% 153% US total 2,044,401 63% 38% non-US total 1,180,776 37% global total 3,225,177 By mid-1993, Internet's U.S. "backbone" was carrying 7-terabytes of data per month = 7-thousand gigabytes = 7-million-million bytes = 7,000,000,000,000 bytes. Guesstimated number of users -- 15- to 25-million, worldwide No way of accurately counting number of users Assuming average of 5 to 8 users per Internet host Probably a majority are in the United States. In comparison, in the United States, in 1992: 28-million fax machines in use 12-million cellular phones in use 12-million pagers in use, and 5- to 6-million modems were sold (in 1992, alone) 21-million people used email. ====== Key California Legislation & ex-Legislation AB 1624 (1993) - Mandated that most already-computerized legislative public records, plus all state codes, be made available on the Internet without cost. Assembly Member Debra Bowen (Aide: Mary Winkley) 916-445-8528; fax/916-327-2201 email / winkleme@assembly.ca.gov Became operational Jan. 14th; first in the nation. SB 758 - Died through combination of author distractions, lack of aide communications; tiff w/ Assembly Elections Comm. Chair. Would have mandated that [significant] campaign-finance disclosures be filed in computerized form & publicly-available, online. State Senator Tom Hayden ("Aide": Darryl Young) 916-445-1353; fax/916-324-4823 email / darryl.young@sen.ca.gov AB 2451 - Would have made computerized state public records available via the Internet, without charge by the agencies. Assembly Member Tom Bates (Aide: Rachel Richman) 916-445-7554; fax/916-445-6434 email / richmarb@assembly.ca.gov Unacceptable exclusions amended into it in final 10 days; then went from consent agenda to death w/i 30 hrs. of net opposition. ====== Some [few] of the Excellent Online [Internet] Information Sources GovAccess distribution list. Whatever interests me in this turf; action-oriented. Email a request to be added to jwarren@well.com CalGovInfo online distribution list; unmoderated discussion. Email to listserv@cpsr.org Message: SUBSCRIBE CALGOVINFO firstname lastname For help: Send HELP to listserv@cpsr.org The "interesting-people" list (should be "interestED" people). Typically several postings per day; potpourri of access & net news. Email request to be added to farber@cis.upenn.edu Taxpayer Assets Project, a Ralph Nader group. Effective advocate for access to computerized govt data (i.e., to important assets belonging to taxpayers). Email information request to tap@essential.org Electronic Frontier Foundation Computer-related civil liberties & access D.C. watchdog. Email information request to ask@eff.org Electronic Privacy Information Center (arm of CPSR) Virulent privacy advocates, Washington watchdogs. Email information request to epic@cpsr.org ====== "Civic nets" -- The information infrastructure's local roadways (a.k.a. "community networks"; neither are well-defined) Nation's first: Santa Monica PEN (Public Electronic Network) Some civic-net issues, especially noteworthy for the naive: Consider host ownership / who controls the system? For-profit business (e.g., newspaper, online publisher) Non-profit private organization Public or special-purpose library (law, school, college, etc.) Government agency Coalition of the above. Consider purpose(s) of organization that owns the system Host may be ancillary to owner's primary purposes Host services may be the only function of the owner Use may be limited to aiding the owner's purposes Or use may be unlimited, as a general community service. In the case of civic-nets, typical legal structures/ownership Civic-minded individual & a closet computer Sole proprietorship For-profit corporation -- e.g. a newspaper or info-service Non-profit corporation -- typically a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) Department or unit within a public agency or JPA ====== Some [competing] players in the tangled nets Online services providers Free or wee-fee PC-based bulletin-board systems ["BBS"] Current commercial service-providers Future commercial service-providers Nonprofit service-providers, Freenets, etc. Fee or free libraries, K-12 schools, colleges, universities Local, state and federal government agencies. Communications networks / communications carriers Baby Bells -- regional Bell operating companies ["RBOCs"] Special data-carriers -- SprintNet, MCI, CPN, É Cable carriers -- want to be in the voice and data business Wireless carriers -- cellular, satellite, low-power radio, ... . Print press -- newspapers, tabloids, magazines. Regulatory bodies Federal Communications Commission [FCC] State Public Utilities Commissions [PUCs] Legislative bodies Potentially anti-trust and/or consumer-affairs divisions. ====== Some hidden-gotchas in public-net and civic-net operations: Host-computer owner's liability for content & users' comments. Discussion domination by aggressive / verbose minority As opposed to being dominated by skilled orators, or by big-bucks advertisers, or by those who buy newsprint by the ton or hold broadcast licenses. The universal-access issue Access to communications ("free" highways; fee phones) Access to services (assistance, value-added tools, etc.) Access to information *Dwarfing* all other access problems: The ability to read and write! The issue of content control / censorship Restrictions on commercial uses E.g., NSF prohibited commerce on its "backbone" net Policy now essentially dead But network-specific content-restrictions still exist. "Spamming" - Flooding the net with advertisements (name comes from Monty Python). On government-operated civic-nets Limitations on use by elected officials & candidates "Free speech" vs. editing, censorship or suppression. Offensive / politically-incorrect speech & digital images The cures for offensive speech More speech -- the civil libertarians' cure Bozo filters -- lets recipients control content they see. Using the new medium to justify new censorship efforts Sen. Exon's S.1822 amendment (prohibiting "indecent" content). Libel and slander No common-carrier status for online services & civic-nets Re-visit justification for libel restrictions on speech, press Nets decrease the inequity of mass-communication access. Proprietary information Controlling access Protecting right-of-copy Payment/compensation for use What is "fair-use"? Contortions around shared hypertext (Data composed of parts linked from numerous files). Payment for data and information services Bartering and exchange vs. evaluation and tax-collection Electronic money, digital tokens, anonymous banking (tantelizing terrorism for the tax-collectors). Protecting privacy/confidentiality of files & communications Cryptography can provide the protection The export-control problem; crypto as "munitions" Security agencies and law enforcement want the keys The "digital telephony"/ "wiretap-ready" legislation. ====== Recommended Internet References Zen and the Art of the Internet, Brendan Kehoe, Prentice Hall (112 pp., a one-evening "read" for intelligent layfolks) The Whole INTERNET: User's Guide & Catalog, 2nd Edition, Ed Krol, O'Reilly & Associates, Sebastopol CA; 800-998-9938 (376 pp., may be the standard tutorial and user's reference) ====== Future Event of Note Computers, Freedom & Privacy '95 - March 28-31, 1995 (at San Francisco Airport Marriott Hotel) Carey Heckman, Chair Stanford Law & Technology Policy Ctr. 415-725-7788; fax/415-323-3362 email / ceh@leland.stanford.edu ====== In March, I broadcast a lengthy "how to" document across the nets, and published it in my government-access column in BoardWatch magazine. It was titled: HOW CITIZENS CAN PURSUE NET-BASED, COMPUTER-AIDED, PRACTICAL, POTENT, GRASSROOTS POLITICAL ACTION After the nuts-and-bolts details of how-to-do-it, I concluded as follows: ... Effective community action is never easy, but you no longer have to be handsome, wear a tie, walk a precinct, nor subvert yourself to the dictates of an established political organization in order to have a potent impact. Make waves! Net-surf for Freedom! JUST LIKE THE OL' DAYS ... This is akin to the last time a rag-tag minority of malcontents revolted against "established leaders and proper authority." Patrick's descendants will again draft inflammatory rhetoric, provoking the disorganized but discontented colonists to act. Ben's descendants will again crank up their household [desktop] printing presses, leafleting friends and strangers around the colonies. George's descendants will map their plans on digital foolscap and coordinate volunteer MinutePersons with electronic carrier-pigeons. And Paul's fleet-fingered descendants will again race around the bumpy electronic roads, disturbing the peace with shouted warnings about the royal efforts to resist the irresistable -- [sovereign] citizens, once again voluntarily acting in concert to regain control of their own destinies. Mount up, folks. We have a heritage to honor. ------------------------------ So many windmills; so few lances. :-) Mo' as it Is. --jim GovAccess is an email distribution-list of irregular postings, maintained by Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc. 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/<# upon request> jwarren@well.com -or- jwarren@autodesk.com >> Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation.<< >> Past postings are at ftp.cpsr.org:/cpsr/states/california/govaccess << >> To add or drop the GovAccess list, email to jwarren@well.com . <<