Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 14:34:58 EST Errors-To: Comp-privacy Error Handler From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator To: Comp-privacy@uwm.edu Subject: Computer Privacy Digest V4#042 Computer Privacy Digest Tue, 15 Mar 94 Volume 4 : Issue: 042 Today's Topics: Moderator: Leonard P. Levine Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy Re: CHIPS... Re: CHIPS... Re: CHIPS... Video tape rental records The Computer Privacy Digest is a forum for discussion on the effect of technology on privacy. The digest is moderated and gatewayed into the USENET newsgroup comp.society.privacy (Moderated). Submissions should be sent to comp-privacy@uwm.edu and administrative requests to comp-privacy-request@uwm.edu. Back issues are available via anonymous ftp on ftp.cs.uwm.edu [129.89.9.18]. Login as "ftp" with password "yourid@yoursite". The archives are in the directory "pub/comp-privacy". Archives are also held at ftp.pica.army.mil [129.139.160.133]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: decastro@netcom.com (Richard A. De Castro) Date: 12 Mar 1994 22:28:27 GMT Subject: Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) minie@hsuseq.humboldt.edu (Carl Minie) writes: I work at a university which is in the process of installing several modules of BANNER, an Oracle-based system written for educational institutions. The vendor of BANNER, Systems and Computer Technology (SCT), maintains several Internet lists which are used by SCT to communicate with BANNER installations and for installations to exchange information. Recently, a suggestion was made on one of these lists by a BANNER site, one of the campuses of the State University of New York, seeking an enhancement to the BANNER module that involves student housing. Part of the suggestion reads as follows: "Currently there is no way in BANNER to list all residents of a particular room by their occupancy dates. We need this information in order to bill students accurately for dorm damages. We are also asked to provide information to various agencies (Attorney General, FBI, etc.) that requires verification of a particular student's residency on campus." My question is this: why are the Attorney General, the FBI, et. al., verifying student residences? I would appreciate if someone with particular knowledge of law enforcement and/or education would tell me why the government is asking universities to keep track of dormitory students. Thank you in advance for your replies. Well, it might be completely innocent. After the student graduates and applies for a job with the government (including the military) requiring a security clearance, they ask for that information. It's pretty silly to want the information on when you occupied a dorm room, since most, if not all, of the people nearby (who would normally be interviewed as part of a background investigation) won't be there, but few have accused the government of always making sense. Or, it could be some giant conspiracy. -- ============================================================================ decastro@netcom.com Warning: I am a trained professional. No, Really! Rick N6RCX EMT-A ATP Do Not try this yourself - it could get ugly...... Richard A. De Castro - California, but not for ever. Home wanted. =========================================================================== ------------------------------ From: sobiloff@lap.umd.edu (Blake Sobiloff) Date: 14 Mar 1994 19:03:44 -0500 Subject: Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents Organization: Lab for Automation Psychology minie@hsuseq.humboldt.edu (Carl Minie) wrote: "Currently there is no way in BANNER to list all residents of a particular room by their occupancy dates. We need this information in order to bill students accurately for dorm damages. We are also asked to provide information to various agencies (Attorney General, FBI, etc.) that requires verification of a particular student's residency on campus." My question is this: why are the Attorney General, the FBI, et. al., verifying student residences? I would appreciate if someone with particular knowledge of law enforcement and/or education would tell me why the government is asking universities to keep track of dormitory students. Thank you in advance for your replies. I think you're misinterpreting the quote; it sounds like the university simply wants to be able to prove that a student, who has come under investigation by a law enforcement agency, resides in a particular location on campus. While I don't have a problem with this, per se, I certainly hope that the campus has procedures for such requests which insure the privacy of its students. -- Blake Sobiloff | University of Maryland Laboratory for Automation Psychology | College Park, MD 20742-4411 Department of Psychology | 301/405-5936 (Voice) ------------------------------ From: RATHINAM@INS.INFONET.NET Date: 11 Mar 1994 22:32:16 -0600 (CST) Subject: Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy L. Levine wrote: I have been given a cut from several electronic boards that are used by journalists in their electronic interaction. What follows is my edited compendium of what appeared in these boards. It gives a look at the varying ethics of members of the working press as they puzzle their way through these issues. Do you have any technical details? Did they login, see "You have N messages" and then log out, or did they do a "directory" and read who the messages are from and what the Subject matter was. Who know how many other people's mail boxes were looked at! The anology people use could be simpler - it is like looking in someone's mailbox to see if they have mail. (If they look at subject matter, it is a little bit more serious - it is like someone opening the mail to look at the first few lines and putting it back - arguably. Bills need not be opened for subject matter, for example.) What do you think would have happened if there was just ONE reporter, instead of three together? In my mind, they don't have a whole lot of credibility left. ------------------------------ From: Charles Howes Date: 11 Mar 94 22:10:28 PST Subject: Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada L. Levine wrote: I have been given a cut from several electronic boards that are used by journalists in their electronic interaction. What follows is my edited compendium of what appeared in these boards. It gives a look at the varying ethics of members of the working press as they puzzle their way through these issues. I was wondering if I might gain access to these boards. Are they public, private, pay, or other? Your message has piqued my interest in journalism and journalists. (Also, reading the news before it becomes news sounds neat...) -- Charles Howes -- chowes@sfu.ca Doctors report that they have discovered a cure for apathy. However nobody has shown the slightest interest in it. [Moderator: At least one of the boards "alt.journalism" is available at my campus. Others I cannot find.] ------------------------------ From: grweiss@tucson.princeton.edu (Gregory R. Weiss) Date: 12 Mar 1994 23:46:03 GMT Subject: Re: CHIPS... Organization: Princeton University Lile Elam (lile@netcom.com) wrote: [...] : Well, I said I didn't want a chip in this cat and that it was a violation of privacy. [...] I was really upset about this. My housemate asked me why and I said, "It's too close. Don't forget that we are animals too! Steve Bernard wrote: Uh, I'm not sure I follow you on this. Has there been any other precedent where treatment of animals has propogated to humans? I'm pretty sure we're not putting people to sleep yet because they don't have a home. What about getting spayed and neutered? This is a good thing with animals yet I don't think we need worry about that happening to us. I agree that it's not clear that treatment of animals is only a small step away from treatment of humans. However, I would like to remind people that the government (I believe it was not federal government, but a number of different state governments) has "neutered" mentally ill patients without their consent so that they would not be able to have children. I shudder I would appreciate anyone with more detailed knowledge of this to step forward and comment. There was even a Supreme Court appeal where the defendant did not want to be treated and lost her appeal. My roommate refers to the case as "three generations is enough," because apparently the defendant was the third generation in her family that was supported by state mental institutions. ------------------------------ From: bernie@fantasyfarm.com (Bernie Cosell) Date: 12 March 1994 01:04 EST Subject: Re: CHIPS... Organization: Fantasy Farm Fibers L. Levine wrote: I am not sure whose privacy is being invaded here. If you feel that the cat needs this privacy then you have gone too far in my judgement. ... One thing I am amazed by, still, though, is the apparently *overwhelming* response she's gotten [claims better than 9:1 in favor of her fears] and the general immediate-support on the digest. It strikes me as a VERY sad time for marshalling troops to _really_ affect our provacy when so many seem to have so little clue what the issues are really all about... In any event, thanks for the good posting... it was nice to read something that I wanted to write, only written-right for a change... -- Bernie Cosell bernie@fantasyfarm.com Fantasy Farm Fibers, Pearisburg, VA (703) 921-2358 ------------------------------ From: michael@stb.info.com (Michael Gersten) Date: 14 Mar 94 23:30 PST Subject: Re: CHIPS... Some years ago, in order to protect my privacy, I registered my phone under the name "Mehitabel DeCatte" (pronounced "Mehitabel the cat"). Having such a "nom de phone" was legal and was cheaper than having an unlisted number. Our cat, Mehitabel, did live at our residence with Ok, for all of you who do something like this, how? When I tried to get a different name for my phone, I was told it wasn't possible. They wanted either my Soc Sec Number, which I wouldn't give out, or my drivers license, presented in person, so that they could verify my identity. They wouldn't let me use a fake name, and in fact, I asked directly, and was told it wasn't possible. (This was GTE). So those of you who do, what method do you use? -- Michael Gersten michael@stb.info.com NeXT Registered Developer (NeRD) # 3860 -- Hire me! (Ready _NOW_) ------------------------------ From: O1EVERT@vm1.CC.UAKRON.EDU (Tom Evert) Date: 15 Mar 1994 01:50:33 GMT Subject: Video tape rental records Organization: The University of Akron I remember hearing that a court order is required to obtain video tape rental records. (Why someone would want these records is beyond me!) If this is true - is this a federal law? Thanks...Tom ------------------------------ End of Computer Privacy Digest V4 #042 ****************************** .