************************************************************************ General Information about the Electronic Frontier Foundation ************************************************************************ The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is dedicated to the pursuit of policies and activities that will advance freedom and openness in computer-based communications. It is a member-supported, nonprofit group that grew from the conviction that a new public interest organization was needed in the information age; that this organization would enhance and protect the democratic potential of new computer communications technology. From the beginning, the EFF determined to become an organization that would combine technical, legal, and public policy expertise, and would apply these skills to the myriad issues and concerns that arise whenever a new communications medium is born. By remaining faithful to this initial vision, the EFF has become an organized voice for the burgeoning community of nationally and internationally networked computer users. It performs the multiple roles of guardian, advocate, and innovator to serve and protect the public interest in the information age. Goals of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, 1990-1992 1. To engage in and support educational activities that increase the popular understanding of the opportunities and challenges posed by computing and telecommunications. 2. To develop among policymakers a clearer comprehension of the issues underlying free and open telecommunications. 3. To support the creation of legal and structural approaches that will ease the assimilation of these new technologies by society. 4. To raise public awareness about civil liberties issues arising from the rapid advances in computer-based communications media. 5. To support litigation in the public interest to preserve, protect, and extend constitutional rights to the realm of computing and telecommunications technology. 6. To encourage and support the development of new tools that will endow nontechnical users with full and easy access to computer-based telecommunications. Two years after its inception, the EFF is striving to meet these goals and fulfill its mission in many ways: * The EFF is intensely involved in public advocacy and policy-making in the telecommunications arena at the federal level. * The EFF is constantly reaching out for new members, be they individuals, companies, or groups, that are united in their desire for an open and affordable National Public Information Network that embodies the finest traditional values of the United States. * The EFF is managing a public domain software development program that promises wide access to existing and future networks without intensive training. * The EFF is active in keeping the present and future costs of network access low to ensure that this nation and the world not devolve into the "information rich" and the "information poor." * The EFF has commissioned studies on the future of computer networks, their practicality, and their impact on the nation and the world. * The EFF is supporting an expanded electronic and print publication program to inform people of the issues on the electronic frontier, and to help both new and experienced network users maximize their own and the technology's potential. * The EFF builds and manages coalitions of public interest, academic and corporate groups and concerned individuals for specific actions on specific items of legislation and policy on the federal and state level. * The EFF helps to defend people wrongly accused of computer crime, and to ensure that users of these new technologies are extended the full range of constitutional protection. * The EFF provides advice and counsel on new issues arising in this information age to citizens, companies, government organizations, the media, and other public interest groups. * The EFF works to raise the consciousness of citizens, companies, and government bodies regarding both the rights and responsibilities of computer network users through speeches, panels, interviews, meetings, and publications. * The EFF actively manages discussion groups on several major computer conferencing systems, and is a presence in many more. * The EFF maintains a legal hotline for people in need of advice or references in the case of legal difficulties arising from computer-based communications. * The EFF, in both its Cambridge and Washington offices, remains alert for opportunities to influence public awareness and shape public policies in order to maximize freedom, competitiveness, and civil liberties in the electronic social environments created by new computer and communications technologies. In short, thanks to the moral, technical, and financial support of our members and constituents, the EFF in two short years is well on its way to fulfilling its original goals. Emerging out of the computer networks it represents, the EFF has become an organization that people, companies, the media, and governments turn to when they look for insight into questions involving new communications technologies and life on the electronic frontier. Structure of the EFF The EFF maintains offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. EFF/Cambridge deals with member services, publications, legal counsel, technical development, and the support of our online discussion and news groups. EFF/Cambridge also maintains the central library and our main computing facilities, including eff.org proper, which hosts our mailing lists; ftp.eff.org, home of our anonymous ftp archives; and wais.eff.org, our WAIS archive site. EFF/Washington is charged with policy-making, coalition building, congressional liaison, and the administration of the Communications Policy Forum. The EFF is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. It is an operating foundation and does not make grants. The EFF is a membership organization with both individual and corporate members from throughout the United States and the world. * As part of our efforts to educate, we have spoken at and participated in the conferences of various members of the judicial and law enforcement community, such as the High Tech Criminal Investigation Association, the American Society of Criminologists, and the FBI. * We have routinely given legal information and advice to lawyers, online systems, system operators, the media, and individuals about the evolving case law in the area of computer-based communications. * We have repeatedly aided students in restoring computer accounts suspended merely for showing interest in information relating to system security. * We are pursuing litigation against the Secret Service to establish constitutional limits on the search and seizure of computers, BBS systems, books, and manuscripts at Steve Jackson Games in Austin, Texas. * We have lobbied effectively at the state level to change legislation inimical to computer networking and are represented on the Massachusetts Computer Crime Commission. * We are helping to define the issues of protecting BBSs, Internet sites, and other telecommunications carriers from unwarranted risks and liabilities. * The EFF is credited by sponsors with having helped to enact the High Performance Computer Act of 1991. * The EFF has joined with the IIA, the ACLU, ADAPSO, the Software Publishers Association, and others to oppose H.R. 191 and similar legislation in the Senate to give the government a software exception under Section 105 of the copyright act, which prohibits the government to copyright public information. * The EFF is working with the information industry and library associations to prevent Congress from passing Section 534 of the Maritime Act, which would allow the Federal Maritime Commission to charge above cost for electronic data, thus exercising a quasi-copyright over government information. * This year the Senate introduced legislation, S. 1940, to establish an electronic freedom of information act (EFOIA) to ensure that public access to information applies to electronic public data. The EFF spearheaded the legislation and helped to draft it. * The EFF is now a proponent of legislation before Congress to establish a positive obligation on the part of government agencies to disseminate information in electronic as well as paper formats. Compromise legislation satisfactory to the administration, information industry, library groups, and public interest organizations is in the works. These are known as amendments to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1992. * We have endorsed H.R. 3459, the Improvement of Information Access Act, introduced by Representative Major Owens, and indicated our willingness to work on the GPO WINDO proposal, H.R. 2772. In our view, all of these bills support broader public access to information and should be enacted into law. * We have supported OMB's recently published Revised Circular A-130 on government information dissemination policy, which embodies broad principles endorsing active and equitable federal agency dissemination of electronic public information, at marginal cost, through a diversity of public and private sources. * We commissioned a study, now complete, from Economics and Technology, Inc., of Boston that establishes the affordability of ISDN when fully deployed. * We have been developing and promoting guidelines for magistrates who issue search warrants for computer data and hardware. * We write a monthly legal column for an electronic bulletin board magazine, BBS Callers Digest. * We have researched civil liberties issues related to telephone company efforts to reclassify hobbyist BBSs from residential to business services. How to Connect to the EFF Internet and USENET: General information requests, submissions for EFFector Online, and the like can be mailed to eff@eff.org. If you receive any USENET newsgroups, your site may carry the newsgroups comp.org.eff.news and comp.org.eff.talk. The former is a moderated newsgroup for announcements, newsletters, and other information; the latter is an unmoderated discussion group for discussing the EFF and issues relating to the electronic frontier. For those unable to read the newsgroups, there are redistributions via electronic mail. Send requests to be added to or dropped from the eff-news mailing list to eff-request@eff.org. Mail eff-talk-request@eff.org to be added to a redistribution of comp.org.eff.talk by mail; please note that it can be extremely high-volume at times. A document library containing all of the EFF news releases, John Barlow's "Crime and Puzzlement", and other publications of interest is available via anonymous FTP from ftp.eff.org. Mail ftphelp@eff.org if you have questions, or are unable to use FTP. To be on a mailing list specific to a discussion of technical and policy issues relating to the EFF's Open Platform Initiative, send a request to pub-infra-request@eff.org. CompuServe: Our forum on CompuServe has also opened recently. GO EFFSIG to join. Many of the files on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of interest, are mirrored in the EFFSIG Libraries. Our Addresses: The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. 155 Second Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141 +1 617 864 0665 +1 617 864 0866 FAX Internet: eff@eff.org The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. 666 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E., Suite 303 Washington, D.C. 20003 +1 202 544 9237 +1 202 547 5481 FAX Internet: eff@eff.org MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION In order to continue the work already begun and to expand our efforts and activities into other realms of the electronic frontier, we need the financial support of individuals and organizations. If you support our goals and our work, you can show that support by becoming a member now. Members receive our quarterly newsletter, EFFECTOR, our bi-weekly electronic newsletter, EFFector Online (if you have an electronic address that can be reached through the Net), and special releases and other notices on our activities. But because we believe that support should be freely given, you can receive these things even if you do not elect to become a member. Your membership/donation is fully tax deductible. Our memberships are $20.00 per year for students, $40.00 per year for regular members, and $100.00 per year for organizations. You may, of course, donate more if you wish. Our privacy policy: The Electronic Frontier Foundation will never, under any circumstances, sell any part of its membership list. We will, from time to time, share this list with other non-profit organizations whose work we determine to be in line with our goals. But with us, member privacy is the default. This means that you must actively grant us permission to share your name with other groups. If you do not grant explicit permission, we assume that you do not wish your membership disclosed to any group for any reason. ========================================================================= Mail to: The Electronic Frontier Foundation, Inc. 155 Second St. #AB Cambridge, MA 02141 I wish to become a member of the EFF. I enclose: $_______ $20.00 (student or low income membership) $40.00 (regular membership) $100.00 (Corporate or organizational membership. This allows any organization to become a member of EFF. It allows such an organization, if it wishes to designate up to five individuals within the organization as members.) [ ] I enclose an additional donation of $_______ Name: Organization: Address: City or Town: State: Zip: Phone: ( ) (optional) FAX: ( ) (optional) Email address: I enclose a check [ ]. Please charge my membership in the amount of $ to my Mastercard [ ] Visa [ ] American Express [ ] Number: Expiration date: Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: I hereby grant permission to the EFF to share my name with other non-profit groups from time to time as it deems appropriate [ ]. Initials:___________________________ ``````````````````^^^^^^^^^^^^'''''''''''''''''' Current/past issues of The EFFector Online also available from: -= R.'s Little BBs =- Stone Mountain, Georgia (404) 879-1600 PCBoard 14.5a 1200-9600 baud v.32 v.42 v.42bis N-8-1