COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS for SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Turning Thoughts to Actions

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• REPORT FROM THE BOARD
• PDC 2004 EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE TODAY
• TECH/ACTIVE - June 28, London, England
• VOTING TECHNOLOGY WORKING GROUP
• NEW PUBLICATIONS FROM CPSR's DIAC CONFERENCES
• CPSR SUBMITTED COMMENTS ON EXTENSION OF CALEA TO VOIP
• CPSR-PERU
• EXPLORING CIVIC INTELLIGENCE
• PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE NEEDS HELP
• NON CPSR OPPORTUNITIES
• CPSR OFFICE CLOSED JUNE 19-JULY 11

REPORT FROM THE BOARD

We regret to announce that Nathaniel Borenstein resigned as CPSR president on May 26, citing pressing personal circumstances. We are grateful, however, that he will continue to serve on the board. In accordance with the duties of the recently created office of vice president, Stuart Shapiro has taken over the responsibilities of president. Since a new board term begins in July, the board has chosen to wait until the new board takes office before selecting a new president. Election results will be posted to www.cpsr.org shortly after July 1.

As part of our effort to reduce costs, Managing Director Susan Evoy will be working only half time for CPSR starting in July. Please keep this in mind when contacting the CPSR office. The board aims to bring Susan back up to full time as soon as possible.

The board will be holding a teleconference on Sunday, June 20. Members with concerns or issues they would like the board to formally consider are (always) invited to submit them to Susan Evoy (sevoy(a)cpsr.org) or to any board member.

A revised budget for the Ford grant is being submitted to the Ford Foundation for approval. The principal changes involve using more of the grant to support the development and hosting of a new CPSR Web site and using some of the funds to help pay for a formal financial audit. We expect to sign a contract for the Web site work shortly after receiving approval from Ford.

PDC 2004
ARTFUL INTEGRATION:
INTERWEAVING MEDIA, MATERIALS AND PRACTICES

http://cpsr.org/conferences/pdc2004/

July 27-31
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

TODAY, JUNE 15th IS THE EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE.

Register now and benefit from discounts on conference events.

The response to PDC'04 has been unprecedented. We received more than 120 submissions and have a great program of 23 research papers, 35+ short papers, 3 plenary speakers, an Artful Integrators Award presentation, workshops, tutorials, artifacts/art installations, and internationally renowned Afro-Cuban jazz performer, Jane Bunnett, for the banquet.

If you submitted a registration form before June 14th, but have not received a registration confirmation email, there is a problem. Please resubmit your registration form, with payment now (with a comment that says -"problem registration") to get it resolved by the June 15th deadline. http://cpsr.org/conferences/pdc2004/register.html Register now and benefit from discounts on conference events. http://cpsr.org/conferences/pdc2004/register.html

Tech/Active

A panel discussion with drinks to follow.

Monday, 28 June 2004
15:00 to about 17:00
Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research
(tube: Marble Arch), Stanhope House, Stanhope Place,
London W2 2HH (at Hyde Park), ENGLAND

Activists, scholars, and programmers have sometimes seen the Internet as a lever they can use to change the world, or they have seen the world as a lever they can use to change their Internet -for the cause of privacy, liberty, democracy, or equity, among others. Where has this online activism about social justice faltered and how has it triumphed? If you own a computer and a conscience, please join influential activist/scholars to consider the meaning and practice of online activism. What has changed after all this effort, and what might change if we get it right?

Featuring:

Nerd Determinism, Nerd Fatalism, and the Copyfight

Cory Doctorow is the European Affairs Coordinator of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a contributing editor at Wired Magazine, and a Visiting Lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering at Yale University.

Civil Society Bites, and other Privacy Failures

Gus Hosein is a Fellow in Information Systems at the London School of Economics, a Senior Fellow at Privacy International, and an advisor to non-governmental organizations in Europe and the US.

Online Activism in Raced and Queer Media Spaces

Lisa Nakamura is Assistant Professor of Visual Culture Studies at theUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, the author of Cybertypes, and co-editor of Race In Cyberspace.

If You're Going to Play the Game, You Need to Play it Well

Bill Thompson is a writer and journalist for BBC Radio and BBC News Online, an external lecturer at City University, a research associate with the iSociety project, and an editorial advisor to http://opendemocracy.net.

This event is hosted by the Stanhope Centre for Communications Policy Research, and kindly co-sponsored by the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility and The Internet Society of England.

Free and open to the public; no advance booking is required.

For updated information, see http://www.stanhopecentre.org/ Contact: info(a)stanhopecentre.org Tel. +44 (0) 207 479 5900

CPSR'S VOTING TECHNOLOGY WORKING GROUP

Paul Hyland represented CPSR and the VTWG at the Harvard Vote, Vote Capture & Vote Counting Symposium, cosponsored by the Kennedy School of Government and the National Science Foundation. A best practices document is currently under review and will be released shortly.

Paul also participated in an organizing meeting of the National Ballot Integrity Project of Citizens for Election Integrity, at the Take Back America conference in Washington DC.

The Voting Technology Working Group is working with a variety of other groups and initiatives to effect positive change in the use of election technology as early as this fall.

CPSR members can join the Working Group by subscribing via http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/vote-wg

New Publications From CPSR's DIAC Conferences

June 2004 was a good month for those who are putting digital technology to use in the community. CPSR members Douglas Schuler and Peter Day have edited two books on this theme and both books were published in June. The books, "Shaping the Network Society: The New Role of Civil Society in Cyberspace" (MIT Press) and "Community Practice in the Network Society: Local Action / Global Interaction" (Routledge) have their origins in CPSR's biennial "Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing" symposia. the oldest regular forum for exploring the implications of computing in society.

According to Manuel Castells, "Shaping the Network Society documents and analyzes the emergence of civil society in cyberspace. Based on contributions by some of the best experts in the world, it is essential reading for students and practitioners of the new forms of democracy in the Information Age." And Jenny Preece states that, "Doug Schuler and Peter Day have done it again! This book challenges us to ensure that the benefits of a network society flow to all, not just the rich or well-educated. Activists, educators, academics, students, and citizens alike will all find inspiration here."

CPSR Submitted Comments on Extension of CALEA to VoIP

By Andy Oram, 24 May 2004

The one-pager describes general considerations that illuminate current requests by law enforcement to extend CALEA's wiretapping requirements for telephone equipment to Voice over IP (VoIP). This paper does not discuss the value or appropriateness of CALEA. It asks only how the provisions for adapting telephone equipment for wiretapping can translate into the Internet realm.

. . . In conclusion, it is likely that any extension of CALEA's wiretapping requirements to VoIP software will hamper its adoption among the general population but not prevent its use by criminals and terrorists, who can hide it (or find substitutes for it) in other forms of traffic.

CPSR-PERU

1. CPSR-Peru is organizing the II National Conference of Free Software.
2. The Free Software network in Peru where CPSR-Peru is member, had a Press Conference in the Lima Chamber of Commerce to let the Press know about the development of the National Conference of Free Software and the Research Grant project for young people who do research in free software applications. It was great.
3. CPSR-Peru is participated in the Porto Alegre meeting, that Tactical Tech, Privaterra and Projecto swlibre organized. The International Festival of Free software is one of the most important conference realated to Free Software in our region.
4. CPSR-Peru members were in Washington, DC for the 10 year anniversary of EPIC. We spoke at their Freedom 2.0 Conference. We were also invited to attend several meetings that EPIC organized that week. We did a lot of networking that week. Washington is an amazing place to be for more than a week. Too many organizations to visit, to form alliances, to network, to exchange papers, books, form coalitions, find foundations. We had a very busy week. We had some meetings at the OEA related to interest in a resolution to adopt in Ecuador. We also have several relationg with the Italian Data Protection Agency, etc, etc, etc.

Journal Call for Papers

Special Issue of AI & Society:
The Journal Of Human Centred Systems
on "Exploring Civic Intelligence: Descriptions & Prescriptions"
Douglas Schuler, Guest Editor, The Evergreen State College,
The Public Sphere Project (of CPSR)

"We are seeking papers that explore the connection between the environment (social, natural, technological, media, etc.) and civil society. We are especially interested in projects that explicitly address the ameliorization of social or other shared problems, both at a strategic and policy level. Although our focus is civil society, we welcome perspectives and projects that link civil society to governmental and commercial enterprises cooperatively -- and non-cooperatively. We are looking for theories that can be used descriptively to account for new social movements, but also to inform research directions, organizational development, technological R&D, media, policy, and formal and informal education. We are specifically seeking papers that bridge theory and practice and theories that highlight the role of people and human agency in addressing challenges of the 21st Century. Some relevant fields may include distributed cognition, new social movements, community informatics, formal and informal education, distributed artificial intelligence, network science, management science, cognitive science, computer supported cooperative work, library and infromation science, civic innovation and social learning, as well as discussions relevant to policy, media, the arts, etc."

See (search under the discipline of computer science): http://www.springeronline.com/sgw/cda/frontpage/0,10735,5-111-2-103775-0,00. html

For more description and submission details, contact:

Douglas Schuler
Guest Editor
Special Issue on
"Exploring Civic Intelligence: Descriptions & Prescriptions"
AI & Society
The Evergreen State College
Phone: +1 206.634.0752
E-mail: douglas(a)cpsr.org

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE NEEDS HELP

Members interested in writing and/or editing for the impending reincarnation of the CPSR website and/or for the CPSR Journal, should join and contact the Publications Committee via http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/cpsr-publications

NON CPSR OPPORTUNITIES

Position Available At The Loka Institute

With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Loka Institute is seeking qualified candidates to submit resumes for National Coordinator. The position will remain open until filled. Office is currently in Washington D.C, but location is negotiable.

The National Coordinator (NC) is responsible for the day-to-day administrative operation of the organization as well as the development and expansion of its programs and networks. The NC will perform a variety of skilled administrative and clerical duties directly related to program management activities. These include maintaining financial records, maintaining databases, preparing routine correspondence, respond to stakeholders needs; and assisting and participating in project events. The NC works in partnership with the Loka Board of Trustees, organization network partners, consultant/trainers/speakers, to develop a shared vision and plan for organizational growth, development of additional capacity, and sustainability.

Salary commensurate with experience and skills in a
range from $35,000 - $50,000.
Email resume with cover letter highlighting your
qualifications and interest in the position and three references to:
loka(a)loka.org
See http://www.loka.org

New Briefing On Ethical Careers In Science And Technology

Scientists for Global Responsibility (SGR) has published the fifth briefing in its series 'Thinking about an ethical career in science and technology', entitled 'Unscrambling a space career from military forces'. The 8-page briefing discusses the implications of choosing a career in space exploration or space technology, especially highlighting the major influence of the military. Contact: Dr Stuart Parkinson, tel: 07 941 953 640; email: stuartp(a)sgr.org.uk

The Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility released the second issue of The ETHICOMP Journal, ISSN 1743-3010.
The issue consists of 30 papers. See http://www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk/journal

New Journal of Privacy Technology out of Carnegie Mellon University/ See http://www.jopt.org/index.html

A small article on a federal panel reviewing the Terrorism Information Awareness datamining program by the Pentagon See http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/05/17/MNGJ56MMEJ1.D TL

Global Marshall Plan Initiative

A new initiative on ICT and sustainable development has been recently launched headed by Professor Franz Josef Radermacher. Its' goal is to establish a world-wide economic, political and civil society system for a new era of cooperation which will achieve global security, peace and prosperity for everyone. The Global Marshall Plan is modelled after the success of the United States' Marshall Plan for Europe after the second world war and applies the positive experiences of the European Union expansion process to the rest of the world. See http://www.globalmarshallplan.org/index_eng.html

OECD's new report, 'The Development of Broadband Access in Rural and Remote Areas'. The report reviews the availability of broadband services in each OECD country, and based on this evidence produces a number of recommendations to policy makers. See: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/38/40/31718094.pdf

BBC Creative Commons Licence for Broadcast Material

The BBC has announced that it plans to use Creative Commons licenses to open up its archive of broadcasting material. The broadcaster has decided to allow users to download, distribute and modify digital clips of BBC television programs through an initiative called the Creative Archive. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040527/152/eunor.html

Community Technology Foundation of California Seeks
Proposals for Research Projects
Deadline: June 30, 2004

Grant support for primary research to improve how California's underserved communities are using and can use community technology to address social change. See http://zerodivide.org/grants/appliedrfp

CONTEST: Communicate: Talk To Each Other

In November 2002 the UNESCO General Conference and its over 150 member states drafted the Declaration of Cultural Diversity as a milestone towards the recognition of cultural differences as a universal human right. The aim is to shift from cultural differences to cultural pluralism. In an image, interpret "pluralism". Combination that becomes one sound, one language. Combination made of detail, uniqueness, diversity. See http://www.takingitglobal.org/express/gallery/contests/

Skoll Foundation Offers Awards for Innovation in Silicon Valley Deadline: July 2, 2004

Awards to nonprofit organizations that demonstrate exceptional creativity, sustained commitment, and a clear record of accomplishment in addressing Silicon Valley's most significant challenges. Through the program, the foundation supports organizations with existing work or core program services focused on empowering socioeconomically disadvantaged populations in Silicon Valley.

See http://www.skollfoundation.org/siliconvalleyawards/

The CPSR Office Will Be Closed From June 19-July 11.

If you need assistance while Susan is away, help MAY be available by :

Email: cpsr(a)cpsr.org
Phone: 650-322-3778

Email an appropriate CPSR list (see http://lists.cpsr.org), as in "vote-wg" - the email list with CPSR's voting technology experts.

and/or

Email cpsr-activists(a)lists.cpsr.org, to solicit help from fellow members with a wide variety of expertise.

Help is usually just an email away.

The CPSR Compiler is a monthly notice with short updates on recent activities of our members and opportunities to engage in the development of the public voice through CPSR projects.

To report news for future issues, send a sentence or two (and URL if available) to cpsr(a)cpsr.org

CPSR provides a discussion and project space where individuals can contribute to the public debate and design of our global digital future. Through CPSR's chapters and working groups, members focus on regional and civic issues developing the public voice. To insure a democratic future in a time of intense globalization, the voice of the public must command a prominent position on the world stage. CPSR frames and channels the public voice.

When in doubt about how to get more out of your CPSR membership, contact cpsr(a)cpsr.org or refer to the Activists Handbook http://www.cpsr.org/publications/Activists_Handbook.html to get help in getting the most out of your membership.

To get involved in policy work through CPSR, consider joining one of CPSR's Working Groups http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/workgrps.html or contact cpsr(a)cpsr.org about starting a new one.

CPSR-Activists is the main members forum of CPSR, where the board and members discuss current policy and organizational issues. Only subscribed members can post to this list:http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/cpsr-activists

(c) Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility 2004. Redistribution of this email publication - both internally and externally - is encouraged if it includes this paragraph.

CPSR is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.

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Susan Evoy * Managing Director
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
P.O. Box 717 * Palo Alto * CA * 94302
Phone: (650) 322-3778 * (650) 322-4748 (fax)
Email: evoy(a)cpsr.org
http://www.cpsr.org/