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GovAccess.031: misc re digital govt access; privacy; civic nets
``` I'm not sure if I've forwarded any previous issues of this to RRE. I won't send them regularly, since you can subscribe directly if you like.
Date: Sun, 10 Apr 1994 23:36:55 -0700
From: Jim Warren
Apr.10, 1994
PETE WILSON CAN'T FILE DIGITAL FINANCE DISCLOSURES, BUT MAYBE HE'S ONLINE From XXXX@aol.com Thu Apr 7 04:27:51 1994
... I may be mistaken, but I believe California Gov. Wilson has an email address: petewilson@netcom.com (Governor Wilson's 94 campaign email address as of 3/9/94, or so I read somewhere -- just wish I could remember now where...) (I haven't tried it out, so...).
XXXX, M.D., J.D. San Francisco
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A NOTION ABOUT NET-BASED, COMPUTER-AIDED GRASSROOTS POLITICAL ACTION From XXX@XXX.Sun.COM Tue Apr 5 15:22:33 1994
You touched on something that I've been dreaming of for a long while.
My understanding of the current system is that politicians hire consultants (sleazeballs) to use data processing skills to identify certain target audiences for them. This raises the cost for the candidates, and makes them reliant on $$ to run.
I have the idea that a group (LWV?) could provide the same service to politicians for free/low cost on the condition that the candidate participate in debates, answer questionairres etc. to reduce the cadidate's ability to be slimy, ignore issues, and otherwise try to snow the voters. ...
[ This was a response to my "implementation plan" for net/computer-based grassroots political power/action, detailed in GovAccess.027 of Mar.14th. LWV is the League of Women Voters. Most of the loot's needed to run direct-mail and broadcast propaganda, uh, constituent-contact work, including paid precinct walkers, tele-talkers, etc. The cost of the voter-reg mailing lists and precinct walking-order lists, while non-trivial, is a very minor part of the costs. There are two approaches to campaign-finance reform: The widely-howled one is to limit campaign contributions via tax-paid campaign financing. This is functionally an incumbants' guarantee program, since almost all challengers need to spend much more to get equivalent exposure to what an incumbant gets by dent of incumbancy. The other alternative is to facilitate low-cost alternatives to loot-funded campaigning - an alternative little-explored by incumbants or the advertising-based print and broadcast media. --jim ]
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FOIA FOOTNOTE - LITIGATION EXCUSE USED TO LOCK UP PUBLIC RECORDS
From parsons@acad.stedwards.edu Thu Apr 7 01:43:27 1994
From: Bradley John Parsons
> > Organization: The American University
> > Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 17:56:33 EDT
> > From:
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NET-ACTION PROMOTING SINGLE-PAYER NATIONAL HEALTH LEGISLATION From s2936s@netcom.com Wed Apr 6 12:55:59 1994 From: s2936s@netcom.com (Eral T. and Nancy A. Sachs)
After cruising the country, from Washington, D. C. to Denver, Co., finally located the Organization promoting the Single Payer Plan (SPAN). I think they call themselves *Single Payer Plan Across the Nation..acronym is SPAN.
This is the information I got so far: =>Head Honcho: Phyllis Ohlemacher 303 987 2229 =>Librarian: Doug Ohmans ocaw@igc.apc.org ...
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CLARIFYING PRIVACY POINT REGARDING GOVT-RECORDS DIGITAL-ACCESS BILLS [A clarification requested/suggested by Willis W., one of the nation's best-known specialists in issues of computer security and personal privacy.]
Some folks are concerned that legislation to make computerized public records available to the public in computerized and/or online form would disclose personal information that has been collected and computerized by a government agency.
Not so. All of the state and federal legislation that would mandate such modern access only pertains to PUBLIC records - that is, government information that is already public. None of the bills would prompt the disclosure of personal information that is not already disclosed.
This does not, however, negate the remaining problem that personal data about individuals is more "useable" - or "abuseable" - if it can be obtained in computerized form than if it is available only in paper form. Of course, if it's public in any form, then it can be computerized - restrained only by the cost and inconvenience of a private party doing so.
Such concerns might best be addressed directly, rather than attempting to suppress public access to public records in useful form merely because they might be misused. Potential data abuse might be controlled by applying financial or criminal penalties when personal information collected by force of law for one purpose is used for another. (O' course, that would penalize those numerous public agencies that are peddling personal data for use unrelated to why they collected it, but that's part of the problem.)
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HAVE LITIGATORS REALLY SUBPOENAED AN EMAIL MEMBERSHIP LIST? [ I wonder if this was an April Fool's joke? --jim ] From farber@eff.org Fri Apr 1 04:51:50 1994
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Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 20:36:02 -0600
From: E-D-U-P-A-G-E
SMOKING OUT THE OPPOSITION Lawyers for the American Tobacco Co. were granted a subpoena for the membership list of a computer network used by anti-smoking groups. The move to acquire SCARCNet's (Smoking Control Advocacy Resource Network) records is believed to be the first legal action of this kind. The subpoena also demands the names of those funding the network and copies of all posted strategy sessions. Attorneys for the Advocacy Institute have filed papers seeking to deny the subpoena on First Amendment grounds. (Wall Street Journal 3/30/94 B1)
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LIST OF ONLINE REPORTERS, MEDIA, IN GLEASON'S NET-HAPPENINGS [ If you wish the list, retrieve it from the net-happenings or various newsgroup archives. Looks like reporters are going to get a dose of what it's like to have their privacy penetrated. :-) --jim ]
From maclint@aol.com Sun Apr 3 22:07:21 1994 Here is a marvelous resource list of media ... I can see these as a way to get political action letters to the editors, or to disemminate material you writers may feel like getting published. I am blown away. Comments anyone?
Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 14:35:26 -0700
From: Gleason Sackman
Forwarded by Gleason Sackman - InterNIC net-happenings moderator ()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Newsgroups: alt.journalism,alt.internet.services,comp.misc From: adamg@world.std.com (Adam M Gaffin) Subject: The Media List, 3/30/94 Date: Wed, 30 Mar 1994 05:09:31 GMT [edited by me for GovAccess --jim]
THE MEDIA LIST, 3/30/94 This is a listing of newspapers, magazines, TV stations and other media outlets that accept electronic submissions from readers and viewers, along with their main e-mail addresses. It would be almost impossible to maintain a listing of individual reporters, editors and the like; if you want to reach a specific person, try sending a request to the given media outlet's general address ... If you are submitting a letter to the editor or op-ed piece, it's a good idea to include your address and a daytime phone number. Publications generally try to verify authorship and will not run submissions without some way to check whether you really wrote the item to which your name is attached. Please send any additions, deletions or corrections to the address at the end of this list. Look for new editions in the alt.journalism, alt.internet.services and comp.misc newsgroups. My thanks to all who have contributed! Because of these kind folks, this list is now substantially longer than it was just a week ago.
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DAILY NEWSPAPERS [listed 32 contact e-addresses] WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS [listed 5 contact e-addrs] MAGAZINES [listed 28 e-addrs, internationally] NEWS/MEDIA SERVICES [listed 3 e-addrs] NEWSLETTERS [listed 6 eaddrs] RADIO AND TV STATIONS AND NETWORKS [listed 29 eaddrs] COMPUTER PUBLICATIONS [listed 21 eaddrs] Ottawa Citizen [listed 28 eaddrs, just for this one newspaper!]
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Adam Gaffin adamg@world.std.com / (508) 820-7433 The big dummy behind the Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet.
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OHIO LEGISLATORS COMING ONLINE, WANTS OHIO LEGISLATIVE INFO ONLINE From 75220.1273@CompuServe.COM Thu Mar 31 18:20:23 1994 From: Peter Robinson <75220.1273@CompuServe.COM>
Bill Schuck ... is getting on the Internet and will be a trial Ohio legislator online within about a week. I told him to email me so he could be added to your mailing list. I will let you know as soon as he gets online. He wants to do what you are doing in California and seems to be getting a lot of support for it. Peter
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LOCAL AND NATIONAL CIVIC NETWORKING EVENTS
Peninsula CivicNet '94 Symposium, Friday, June 17th College of San Mateo, San Mateo CA [on the San Francisco Peninsula] co-sponsored by the Peninsula Library System, San Mateo County 2000, the College of San Mateo & San Mateo Assessor - County Clerk - Recorder, email County Clerk Warren Slocum, wslocum@delphi.com or contact symposium administrator Ruth Nagler, 415-345-1221 or 415-349-5538.
CivNet'95: The First National Conference on Civic Networking, first week of February, 1995, San Jose Convention Center, being organized by ABAG, the Association of Bay Area Governments, more specifics and contacts in a later posting.
I know of these two events because I'm helping organize them. I am sure there are other events in various stages of gestation. If you have verified specifics about others, or contact vectors for them, please forward them. As I know more, you'll [all] know more. --jim, jwarren@well.com
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FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH [or similar farm animal]
I will be speaking about various issues in computer-assisted govt-access: Apr.12, Independent Computer Consultants Assn, San Francisco, David Arie, Arie Associates, 415-928-5633 Apr.15, informal meeting of County Recorders, San Francisco Airport, Sharon Clark, Kern County, 805-861-2181 [limited to County Recorders] May 4, IASSIST Conf. (social sciences archivists, librarians, etc.), San Francisco, Libbie Stephenson, UCLA ISSR, 310-825-0716 May 5, The Commonwealth Club, San Francsco, 415-597-6700 May 6, Community Computing Networks Conference [sold out], Cupertino, Steve Cisler, Apple Computer, sac@apple.com May 21, SSIT Social Implications of the Information Superhighway Conf., Santa Clara, for more information contact Brian Sakai, 415-327-9706 --jim
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NET-ACCESS TO TEXAS LEGISLATION
From DSS9973@RIGEL.TAMU.EDU Thu Feb 24 19:10:52 1994
From: Shawn Stevens
The Texas Legislative Council already has a RISC6000 UNIX box that can be our "firewall" computer in providing public access via Internet to pending and enacted legislative information. I have been told by authorities that this machine will service 250 gopher requests at a time and can provide three sessions of Leg data if a hard drive of a few gigs or less capacity is added to the machine. The hard drive and 1 person/month of UNIX programming is all that is needed to get the TX Leg online, as the RISC is already on the Net. The computer is currently only used for intermittent budget and redistricting work, sitting idle a majority of the time. The Texas Legislature online effort does not face hardware obstacles ...
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 1994 19:37:36 -0600 (CST) Subject: TX Leg online (Stevens update)
Howdy pardners,
Well, the numbers, breadth, and depth of the online proponents are growing. The Texas Performance Review folks in Comptroller Sharp's agency are interested in this as a cost-saving measure, and in fact the tax dollar saving aspect will probably be the best way to pitch this to the Legislature. I received a letter last week from the Texas State Library, and that agency is on board. There are now some KEY project friends providing critical information about the context of this project. (Oblique reference intentional)
In passing reference to a recent critic, promoting this project within the Legislature is boilerplate stuff. Of course presentation materials are being compiled and a cohesive, technically accurate, TX Leg-specific proposal is being developed. However, on orders from my boss, the promotion timeline has been altered. The first forum for presentation will probably be the Legislative Study Group (a recently-formed progressive caucus of ~50 TX House members). Rep. Maxey is on the LSG Steering Committee, and in addition we have just formed the LSG Policy Network, an organization of staff for individual members of the caucus. The function of this network is to have us staffers pool our resources and keep members of the caucus up to speed on different policy issues/areas. I have been appointed chair of the network committee responsible for State Affairs, Ethics, and House Rules. This network will be a prime venue for promotion of the online access, and I will in fact be writing a column on this project in the first LSG newsletter. (Will post on a later update)
Rep. Maxey wants a complete presentation package together, and a host of organizations briefed on the project, with a list of supporters together (League of Women Voters, Common Cause, etc.) before the media splash is made. So, no guest editorial for the time being. I anticipate it will be late March/early April before the mainstream plunge is made. However, it is not premature to send indications of interest to your elected officials, as a legislative office will be much more movitivated to learn about an issue they are unfamiliar with (99% of them are new to this issue) if they already know there is constituent interest in it. Plowing before sowing.
On a related note, as we convince leg staffers to explore the Net, let's make them feel welcome and not use pejorative references. Hint--most staffers I know are not interested in being officeholders themselves and are not "wannabe electeds".
One last thing -- this project is not my idea -- I am standing on the shoulders of cybergods like Jim Warren.
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Shawn Stevens alphury@tamu.edu Legislative Assistant dss9973@rigel.tamu.edu Office of State Representative Glen Maxey vox/voxmail (512)463-0552
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"UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." --Dr.Seuss [from lorracks@cs.wustl.edu signature msg]
Mo' as it Is. --jim Jim Warren, columnist for MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc. 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/415-851-2814 >> To join or drop the GovAccess list, email to jwarren@well.sf.ca.us .<< >> Permission herewith granted for unlimited reposting and recirculation.<< ```
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