Date: Fri, 24 Jun 94 15:44:09 EST Errors-To: Comp-privacy Error Handler From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator To: Comp-privacy@uwm.edu Subject: Computer Privacy Digest V4#081 Computer Privacy Digest Fri, 24 Jun 94 Volume 4 : Issue: 081 Today's Topics: Moderator: Leonard P. Levine License Plate Numbers Write Congress for Public Lane on Info Highway Re: Watch your subscriptions... Re: Watch your subscriptions... Re: Physical Location via Cell Phone Re: Physical Location via Cell Phone Re: Physical Location via Cell Phone Re: Information Required by Employer 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: gene@insti.physics.sunysb.edu (Eugene Tyurin) Date: 23 Jun 1994 19:08:28 +0000 (GMT) Subject: License Plate Numbers Organization: Institute for Theoretical Physics, Stony Brook University Can I find out a person's phone or address if I know his license plate #? If that matters -- I'm in NY state. Thanks a lot! -- MIME mail is welcome -- Active Ingredient: Eugene Tyurin http://insti.physics.sunysb.edu:80/~gene/plan.html Bio-degradable, made of 100% recycled substance. Handle with care: fragile, toxic and flammable. ------------------------------ From: cpsr-announce@cpsr.org Date: 24 Jun 1994 07:42:54 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Write Congress for Public Lane on Info Highway *** ACTION ALERT! *** *** WRITE TO YOUR SENATORS TO SUPPORT S. 2195! *** Help create public space in cyberspace. Prevent the NII from becoming simply an electronic shopping mall. An unprecendented coalition of nonprofit, educational, arts, service, labor, civil rights, consumer, public broadcasting, religious, community, public interest, civic, and cultural organizations are working to get Congress to designate a public lane on the information highway. Toward this goal, an important new bill has just been released that would open up media and communications networks to a wide range of information and service providers. S. 2195 would ensure that television and other media will have democratic and diverse offerings for the public in the next decade. But in the face of tough odds, the coalition needs _your_ help. * Please write to your Senators ASAP in support of S. 2195: The National Public Telecommunications Infrastructure Act of 1994. Included in this post: * Fact Sheet on S. 2195 * Sample Letter to Your Senators Please distribute this information widely. -- PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY LEGISLATION (S. 2195) Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Chairman of the Communications Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Transportation and Science Committee, has introduced important legislation to require the reservation of capacity on advanced telecommunications networks for non-commercial educational and informational services and civic discourse. Telecommunications infrastructure legislation is generally believed to have the potential to transform education, self-governance, civic discourse and artistic expression. However, this promise will not be fulfilled unless there is a guaranteed right-of-way for the public to share non-commercial educational, cultural, civic and informational services. Senator Inouye's legislation seeks to address this problem by reserving up to twenty percent of the capacity on advanced telecommunications networks for use by state and local governments, educational institutions, public broadcasters, libraries and nonprofit organizations organized for the purpose of providing public access to noncommercial, educational, informational, cultural civic and charitable services. The legislation is not, however, intended to cover the Internet. Nor is it intended to cover point to point telephone communications that are not intended for the public. While many people contemplate that at some point in the future there will be ample capacity on these "switched" networks so that technological and economic barriers to access would disappear, this bill would insure such uses in the interim. If and when adequate capacity is available, the legislative requirement to reserve space would be phased out or terminated. The legislation also includes a funding mechanism to give those entities for which the capacity is being reserved sufficient economic support to use the capacity. Absent legislation, the telecommunications industry is unlikely to provide adequate, affordable, non-discriminatory access to communications networks, and could potentially control the ideas and information we all now receive and send over computer networks. Information technologies are already having a profound impact on the way we communicate with each other, keep abreast of and disseminate important information, educate ourselves, receive health care, expand our cultural horizons, and engage in political and civic discourse. Politicians and members of the telecommunications industry have all recognized the potential of the "information superhighway" expand the delivery of noncommercial educational services and contribute to a new era of democratic self-governance and to enrich the lives of those people that have traditionally been left out. Senator Inouye's legislation will provide the mechanism for the information superhighway to realize these goals. We need to support public right-of-way legislation. We encourage you to begin lobbying efforts by writing letters to your Senators immediately. -- SAMPLE LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY BILL (S. 2195) * Please write your Senators as soon as possible on this urgent matter. If you can, also write Senator Inouye and Senator Hollings. The Honorable [your senator] ___ Senate ________ Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator ____________: We are writing to encourage you to support the legislation (S.2195) introduced by Senator Inouye to provide space for non-commercial uses on the "information superhighway." We hope that you will recognize the importance of this legislation and consider becoming a co-sponsor. Congress must ensure that as the legal landscape for the provision of telecommunications services changes dramatically, those organizations committed to providing informational, educational, cultural and charitable services to the public are not left out. Congress has an historic opportunity to shape the nation's communications system for the future. But the promise of economic development, educational reform and enhanced democracy will not happen if the new technologies are utilized principally for home shopping and movies on demand. It is crucial that any such legislation provides for the reservation of capacity for open, non-discriminatory use by state and local governments, libraries, schools, public broadcasters, and other nonprofit entities. [If applicable, please state potential uses for your organization.] Sincerely, -- The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye Chairman, Subcommittee on Communications, Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation 722 Senate Hart Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Mr. Chairman: We are writing to commend your efforts to ensure that space is provided for non-commercial uses on the "information superhighway." We support your proposal (S.2195) regarding the reservation of capacity and hope that your proposal will be considered simultaneously with the Senate's debate on the broader telecommunications reform bill, S. 1822. Congress has an historic opportunity to shape the nation's communications system for the future. But the promise of economic development, educational reform and enhanced democracy will not happen if the new technologies are utilized principally for home shopping and movies on demand. It is crucial that any telecommunications reform legislation provides for the reservation of capacity for open, non- discriminatory use by state and local governments, libraries, schools, public broadcasters, and other nonprofit entities. [If applicable, please state potential uses for your organization.] Sincerely, -- The Honorable Ernest F. Hollings Chairman Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation 125 Senate Russell Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Mr. Chairman: We are writing in support of legislation (S.2195) introduced by Senator Daniel Inouye to ensure that space is provided for non-commercial uses on the "information superhighway." You have been a leader in telecommunications reform efforts. Senator Inouye's important legislation would advance your objectives by insuring that the information superhighway provides more than home shopping and movies on demand. We hope that you will help ensure that S.2195 is included in the current debate on telecommunications reform and considered contemporaneously with S. 1822. Congress has an historic opportunity to shape the nation's communications system for the future. But the promise of economic development, educational reform and enhanced democracy will not happen if the new technologies are utilized principally for home shopping and movies on demand. It is crucial that any such legislation provides for the reservation of capacity for open, non-discriminatory use by state and local governments, libraries, schools, public broadcasters, and other nonprofit entities. [If applicable, please state potential uses for your organization.] Sincerely, -- A copy of the "public space" bill (S. 2195), and other supporting materials will be placed online shortly. Please distribute this post widely. Thank you for your support. -- Anthony E. Wright cme@access.digex.net Coordinator, Future of Media Project Center for Media Education -- Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is a national membership organization of people concerned about the impact of technology on society. For automatic or live info email to cpsr-info@cpsr.org; you may also contact CPSR, P.O. Box 717, Palo Alto, CA 94302, (415) 322-3778. Your membership, participation, and support is welcome. -- END -- ------------------------------ From: genghis@ilces.ag.uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) Date: 22 Jun 94 21:32:50 GMT Subject: Re: Watch your subscriptions... Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana OHS@neu.edu writes: My boss gets his copy of PC WEEK using a complimentary subscription form. This week I note on a duplicate form they are now requiring your SSN in order to keep a subscription going. Interesting; what on earth do they need THAT for? I dunno, but thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to look up Richard Nixon's SSN and use that when my PC Week renewal form comes through. ;-) -- Scott Coleman tmkk@uiuc.edu President ASRE (American Society of Reverse Engineers) Ed Green Fan Club #005 Life is temporally limited -- drive velocitously! ------------------------------ From: David Ruggiero Date: 23 Jun 1994 00:30:14 GMT Subject: Re: Watch your subscriptions... Organization: Organizazed? _Me?_ OHS@neu.edu writes: My boss gets his copy of PC WEEK using a complimentary subscription form. This week I note on a duplicate form they are now requiring your SSN in order to keep a subscription going. Interesting; what on earth do they need THAT for? The old saw of "to eliminate duplicates" will [snip] Are we looking at yet another set of data for some new database cross-matching? Don't know, but it _may_ be that PC Week subscriptions are so coveted (at least the free ones) that Ziff-Davis has to go through extraordinary steps to weed out 'legit' requests from the ones they consider not so. I remember applying (unsucessfully) a few years back; they sent a letter et one point asking me to verify that the address I'd given was indeed that of my office location, not my home: they'd clearly taken the time to run it through a database that had pegged it as "residential" (which it was, since I work out of my home). Perhaps they feel the SSN will help them in the effort to uniquely tag each request, or maybe they want to verify that you are who you say you are (I imagine a substantial number of requests for subscriptions are not entirely truthful...people *really* want that magazine.) -- David Ruggiero (jdavid@halcyon.com) Osiris Technical Services, Seattle WA Le coeur a ses raisons, que la raison ne connait point. ------------------------------ From: Scott Bennett Date: 22 Jun 1994 23:32:47 -0500 Subject: Re: Physical Location via Cell Phone Organization: Northern Illinois University Prof. L. P. Levine writes: I'm sure many people have heard this already, even though it only happened yesterday (Friday, 17 June). I'm sure most people have heard about O.J. Simpson [he was charged with a double murder], and Friday evening he took a long drive around the LA Highway system. Police said that they discovered his location (and even his very car) through the use of the Cellular Phone system. The RISKS are obvious: Being able to locate someone just by their cell phone, and by extension, just keeping a cell-phone turned on transmits enough information to be located. For example, if anyone carries a All of what Derek Atkins wrote is true. However, what he describes differs from the reports on the evening news, which said that a lady in her car recognized Simpson and used *her* cellular phone to call the police and report his location. Scott Bennett, Comm. ASMELG, CFIAG Systems Programming Computer Center Northern Illinois University DeKalb, Illinois 60115 ********************************************************************** * Internet: bennett@cs.niu.edu bennett@netmgr.cso.niu.edu * * BITNET: A01SJB1@NIU * ********************************************************************** ------------------------------ From: rotheroe@neptune.convex.com (Dave Rotheroe) Date: 23 Jun 1994 10:48:48 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Re: Physical Location via Cell Phone The technology exists to track a cell phone to much greater resolution than just what cell it is in. Cell phones are transmitters, and though they don't just blast out a signal, they can be tracked like other transmitters can. Resolution can be quite good - to finding a car in a parking lot (quickly), especially if there are a number of listeners getting good triangulation on the signal. It's interesting that you bring this up at this time, because such tracking is one of the security issues for the world cup soccer games, at least here in Dallas. Like you mentioned, a phone call need not be in progress, just the phone powered. While very scary to personal freedom, an interesting side note is the technology can be used for good as well - like tracking a stolen car to allow it's quick recovery and the arrest of the thief. ==================================================================8--< Dave Rotheroe rotheroe@convex.com DoD#0045 CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, TX 75083-3851, (214) 497-4512 What if there were no hypothetical questions? TIP#003 (KotL) ------------------------------ From: bernie@fantasyfarm.com (Bernie Cosell) Date: 24 Jun 1994 03:13:06 GMT Subject: Re: Physical Location via Cell Phone Organization: Fantasy Farm, Pearisburg, VA Prof. L. P. Levine writes: I'm sure many people have heard this already, even though it only happened yesterday (Friday, 17 June). I'm sure most people have heard about O.J. Simpson [he was charged with a double murder], and Friday evening he took a long drive around the LA Highway system. Police said that they discovered his location (and even his very car) through the use of the Cellular Phone system. Well, that is actually only partly correct: the report I read the following day said that Cowling *told* them where he was. Moreover, he dialed 9-1-1 to do so: in almost every location I know of where 911 service is present, it includes special machinery _precisely_ to allow the emergency-response folk to locate you if you call it, so even in an otherwise-secure cell net [which the actual one is not, of course], I would have expected some kind of special 'find you' stuff to be switched in if you call 911. The RISKS are obvious: Being able to locate someone just by their cell phone, and by extension, just keeping a cell-phone turned on transmits enough information to be located. For example, if anyone carries a Digital Personal Communicator (DPC), or other such flip-top cell phones, or any cell phone, for that matter, they can be physically tracked, basically, anywhere in the country through the cellular phone system. *ONLY* if they use it. If you just don't *USE* a cellular phone, they can't track you or learn anything about your location, as far as I know. And of course, the cynical view is that anyone who broadcasts their identity and location out into the ether on a radio transmitter and is then surprised if someone else can figure out where they are broadcasting from is pretty naive. And as the cells get smaller, the location detail gets better. What will happen when we have micro-cellular phones, a cell for every building, or even a cell for every office! Think about the level of personal tracking that can be done with this level of detail! Again, this strikes me as excessively alarmist. Even if such a fine-grained breakdown becomes possible, it seems to me that it is easily thwarted simply by not using a cellular phones. It is just another of the many iterations of the same old tune: are you willing to trade a little convenience for a little privacy. No "Risks", no "grand conspiracies", no rhetorical "think about how bad the future will be", just a simple "those who care about the tradeoff won't make it, and those who don't care will". I see neither a risk nor a privacy problem here... just SOP stuff... -- Bernie Cosell bernie@fantasyfarm.com Fantasy Farm Fibers, Pearisburg, VA (703) 921-2358 ------------------------------ From: tnyurkiw@lagrange.uwaterloo.ca (Tom Yurkiw) Date: 23 Jun 1994 14:46:38 -0400 Subject: Re: Information Required by Employer Organization: University of Waterloo jdunn@hnssys1.hns.com (Joe Dunn) writes: Does someone in Canada have the option of not receiving their great benefits?? Does one have to pay into the Canada Pension Plan??? No, CPP and UIC must be deducted by the employer. CPP seems to be similar to the American Social Security; you start collecting when you turn 65. However, now the government is taxing back the entire benefits of high- income people -- (ie. you contributed all your life to the CPP, but because you now have an income >$50 000, you don't get the benefits... but that's a whole other issue). In the U.S. the SSN is to apply credits to your SS account so that you can receive payments when you retire. If you don't want to collect their used to be provisions that you didn't have to pay. The thing I want to know is, when did those provisions go away?? When did this lousy system become mandatory... probably when too many people started opting out... I don't particularly mind the SIN/SSN as long as it's between my employer and the government... what concerns me, is the temptation to use the SIN/SSN as an identification number for banks, companies, etc. My SIN/SSN gives potential access to ALL of my employment and income statistics. I don't care if it's cheap and convenient for Wal-Mart or whoever, to track my account with the SIN/SSN, it's none of their business. Unless you want to argue for the abolition of income tax, SS, etc. making the SIN/SSN optional would just cost the taxpayers more money. we also have alternate form of tracking income. an individual can apply for a tax ID number (TIN) to use instead of a SSN. There is no requirment to have a SSN to track income. Would an SSN by any other name smell just as sweet? ! ------------------------------ End of Computer Privacy Digest V4 #081 ****************************** .