EFFector 	   Vol. 15, No. 22 	    July 25, 2002	    	ren@eff.org

A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation 	 ISSN 1062-
9424


In the 222th Issue of EFFector:

*	ACLU Action Alert: Fight TIPS/Citizen Spooks!
*	Electronic Frontier Foundation Joins Wireless Crusade
*	Tauzin and Hollings Tell FCC to Adopt Broadcast Flag
*	Shake Your Money Maker: EFF is Throwing a Party!
*	Join the Fun at EFF's VIP Party with Wil Wheaton!
*	Administrivia


For more information on EFF activities & alerts: http://www.eff.org/

To join EFF or make an additional donation: http://www.eff.org/
support/
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today!
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*ACLU Action Alert: Tell Congress to Trash TIPS!

(This alert is from our friends at the ACLU.)

In the last several days, a national firestorm has started to build
around a program proposed by President Bush to recruit one million
volunteers to act as spies and informants against their neighbors. 
Under the proposed program -- which the President is calling 
Operation TIPS -- the government would recruit letter carriers, 
utility workers, cable installers, and others whose jobs allow them 
access to private residences to report "suspicious activities."

But the plan has run into trouble in Congress. The House is moving to
reject the President's program. It is not clear what the Senate will 
do, but it is likely to vote on the bill in the coming days. The fate 
of this deeply misguided program could very well rest with the 
Senate.

Take Action! Your Senators will play a key role in deciding whether 
or not Operation TIPS will go ahead. You can read more and send a 
FREE FAX to your Senators, urging them to reject this misguided 
program, from our action alert at:

http://www.aclu.org/action/tips107.html

Links: EFF board chairman Brad Templeton's parody of the TIPS 
proposal:
www.all-the-other-names-were-taken.com/tipstips.html

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*Electronic Frontier Foundation Joins Wireless Crusade

New Project Tracks Wireless-Friendly Service Providers

Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release

For Immediate Release: Thursday, July 25, 2002

San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today posted 
a list of Internet service providers (ISPs) that allow customers to 
share wireless Internet access with their neighbors and passers-by 
through the use of low-cost wireless hubs.

Wireless community networks provide Internet services to anyone in 
the vicinity of a wireless hub in the network without all 
participants having to sign up with a traditional Internet Service 
Provider (ISP). This relatively new and grassroots phenomenon 
democratizes access to Internet services and helps to span the 
digital divide by providing anyone within the physical vicinity 
access to the Internet. In more concentrated wireless service areas, 
wireless networks provide seamless Internet connectivity to people 
who travel through a geographical area.

"Sharing wireless access is a valuable community service, but many 
ISPs don't see it that way," said EFF Senior Intellectual Property 
Attorney Fred von Lohmann. "Some, like New York's Time Warner Cable, 
have begun enforcing radical terms of service that let them sue 
customers who share wireless access."

"There's a huge demand for the freedom to operate community wireless
access points," von Lohmann added. "We're making sure people have the
information to make informed decisions when they choose their ISPs 
and identifying vendors who can provide that service."

Wireless community networks are an explosive phenomenon, with 
millions of wireless cards sold in the US every year. One community 
wireless network group, NYC Wireless, provided critical 
infrastructure after the September 11th tragedy. Just as today's 
amateur radio operators backstop emergency services in times of need, 
so will tomorrow's community "freenets" form a bulwark against 
disaster.

For this release:
http://www.eff.org/Infra/Wireless_cellular_radio/
200207012_eff_wireless_pr.html

For the list:
http://www.eff.org/Infra/Wireless_cellular_radio/
wireless_friendly_isp_list.html

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*Tauzin and Hollings Tell FCC to Adopt Broadcast Flag

Sen. Ernest Hollings, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and
Rep. Billy Tauzin, chairman of the House Commerce Committee, sent
letters last week to Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) encouraging him to adopt a 
controversial "broadcast flag" for digital television.

The proposed broadcast flag is a an identifier embedded in digital
broadcasts that would tell hardware devices whether or not the 
material is copyrighted and the manner in which it may be copied. The 
rules would require makers of digital TV hardware and software to 
apply controls which restrict the public's use of copyrighted 
materials broadcast over digital TV. For instance, the flag could 
damage the public's fair use rights, including its ability to 
transfer materials over home networks or share single copies of 
material with family members.

Hollywood studios have been the chief proponents of broadcast flag
regulations. In fact, a copy of the Microsoft Word document 
containing Hollings' letter shows that it originated from a computer 
belonging to Nicole Stevenson from the Motion Picture Association of 
America's (MPAA) Washington, D.C. office.

Previously, many observers had expected Tauzin to consider 
legislation mandating that manufacturers comply with the broadcast 
flag rules. There is considerable controversy over whether the FCC 
has jurisdiction to impose such a mandate without specific 
legislation. Contrary to what Hollings suggests, there is also 
considerable debate about whether these rules are in the public's 
interest. EFF believes that they are not.

It remains to be seen whether the FCC believes it has authority to 
act, and, if so, whether it will choose to act. EFF plans to send its 
own comments to Chairman Powell and to continue working with critics 
of the broadcast flag mandate to ensure that our concerns are heard.

Links: Letter from Sen. Hollings:
http://bpdg.blogs.eff.org/archives/000155.html

Letter from Rep. Tauzin:
http://bpdg.blogs.eff.org/archives/000156.html

A brief overview of our concerns with the broadcast flag:
http://bpdg.blogs.eff.org/archives/one-page.pdf

Our rebuttal to the MPAA's FAQ on the broadcast flag:
http://bpdg.blogs.eff.org/archives/000148.html

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*Shake Your Money Maker: EFF is Throwing a Party!

CAFE 2002 - A Benefit for EFF's Campaign for Audio-Visual Free
Expression

Thursday, August 22nd, 2002 9pm - afterhours

On Thursday, August 22nd, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) 
and the DNA Lounge present CAFE 2002 - a Benefit for EFF's Campaign 
for Audio-Visual Free Expression. Join the hottest DJs of the 
electronic dance music scene, celebrity boxers and the foremost 
cyberspace activists as we party to protect the future of music. All 
proceeds from the event will directly benefit EFF's CAFE project, 
helping to preserve your freedom to express yourself in innovative 
ways.

The night features world-class electronic music artists and a special
treat: celebrity boxing with Wil Wheaton and Barney! Wil Wheaton, of
Star Trek: The Next Generation and Stand By Me fame, will take on 
Barney the purple dinosaur in a celebrity boxing matchup for the 
history books. Watch and see if Wil with his backing from EFF can 
protect free speech and parody on the Internet and defeat Barney and 
his team of corporate lawyers. Get down and party-and know you're 
helping protect the rights and future of your favorite artists. Hear 
a great mix of breaks, dnb, techno, experimental, and industrial.

Featured acts include:

DDR (Stay Up Forever, Smitten/UK): DDR has been an active player on 
the London Acid Techno/Trance underground since 1990 with his 
involvement with the Full-On and Bedlam sound systems, throwing 
parties and festivals in and around London and later throughout 
Europe. DDR's production skills led to a meeting of minds with the 
Liberator D.J. trio which resulted in a first vinyl release on Stay 
Up Forever No. 2. Since then an excess of over 100 releases have been 
clocked up on labels that include; Stay Up Forever, Cluster, Smitten, 
Routemaster, Antidote, Choci's Chewn's, Input, and his own imprints 
Hazchem and C.O.S.H.H.

Kid606 (Tigerbeat6, Ipecac): While trying to be the youngest person 
to make power electronics a popular form of music, he discovered 
rhythm after sampling zena-geva and breaking his sampler in the 
process of making a breakbeat. Many many samplers later (the kid 
currently favors a Kurzweil k2000rs and Akai S3000xl) he joined 
spacewurm on their quest to "intellectualize" gabber and also started 
ariel with fellow wurmer V to "deintellectuallize" techno. Both 
projects went the way of andy warhols vital signs so he started 
recording under the name Kid606. When not working on more emo-jungle- 
digital-indie-trashy-punk-noisy-wicked-electro-techno-hardcore-IDM- 
soul to follow up his "don't sweat the technics" full length, in his 
spare time kid606 likes to do remixes for other people or get other 
people to do remixes for him.

RSVPs are appreciated. For more information, contact:

To reserve your ticket, contact:
Katina Bishop
EFF Education Director
415-436-9333 x101
katina@eff.org

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*Join the Fun at EFF's VIP Party with Wil Wheaton!

Did you love/hate him on Star Trek: The Next Generation? Did you
laugh/cringe in sympathy at the leeches scene in Stand By Me? Need 
one last signature to round out your autograph collection of 
childhood movie stars?

Do we even need to ask how you feel about Barney the purple dinosaur?

RSVP quickly for the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF) VIP Party
with Wil Wheaton immediately preceding CAFE 2002: a Benefit for EFF's
Campaign for Audio-Visual Free Expression.

Join Wheaton and the foremost cyberspace activists for drinks in the
upstairs room of the DNA Lounge, San Francisco's leading dance club.
Enjoy free drinks, good company, and excellent music. Take the battle
against Barney and his legal thugs into your own hands with a swing 
at EFF's ferocious Barney pinata.

Former technology entrepeneur and cypherpunk Sameer Parekh, now an
electronic musician and event promoter, will play a mix of fresh 
minimal techno and electro for your aural edification.

All proceeds from the event will directly benefit EFF's CAFE project,
helping to preserve your freedom to express yourself in innovative 
ways. Tickets are $50 (includes cost of CAFE 2002 and two drinks).

When: August 22, 2002 at 8:00 p.m. Where: The DNA Lounge 375 Eleventh
Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 21+ w/ID, NO EXCEPTIONS

To reserve your ticket, contact:
Katina Bishop
EFF Education Director
415-436-9333 x101
katina@eff.org

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*Administrivia

EFFector is published by:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation
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http://www.eff.org/

Editor: Ren Bucholz, Activist ren@eff.org

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