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Archived CPSR resources on privacy

Documents from before October 2004 that appeared on CPSR's former web site. (If you don't find a page you're looking for in these archives, that's probably because it now appears as part of the current CPSR web site.)
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Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

Privacy and Civil Liberties




Some Activities


Some of CPSR's Past Privacy Campaigns

In 1986, CPSR broadened its national program to include the Privacy and Civil Liberties Program, which established a Washington. DC office in 1987. One of the first accomplishments of that office was a report of the proposed upgrade to the FBI's National Crime Information Center. CPSR criticized the FBI for inadequate attention to system security and subject privacy, for poor user authentication requirements and for the inclusion of an entirely new category of criminal justice information, a "tracking" file on suspects of criminal activity. The report led the FBI to drop the tracking file proposal.

Shortly after the Operation Sun Devil raids in which young computer hackers were arrested across the country, Mitch Kapor (founder of the Lotus Development Corporation), writer John Perry Barlow, Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple Computer), and an anonymous fourth donor started the Electronic Frontier Foundation. One of EFF's first acts was to award CPSR a two-year, $275,000 grant to CPSR to support a public education campaign on the importance of protecting civil liberties and First Amendment rights in computer communication. CPSR members have also testified before Congress or submitted statements on virus legislation, telephone privacy, credit privacy, and data.

In 1990, CPSR spearheaded an electronic-mail campaign to force the Lotus corporation not to release a product called Marketplace:Households, which would have provided personal information on over 100,000,000 consumers. After getting over 30,000 messages in opposition to the product, the product was dropped from the Lotus line.

CPSR has filed several lawsuits under the Freedom of Information Act to force government agencies to reveal the extent of their electronic surveillance activities.

In 1991 and 1992, CPSR organized two Washington Roundtables involving dozens of international policy makers to discuss "Civil Liberties and the Electronic Frontier: Mapping the Terrain."

After the Clinton administration announced support for the Clipper Chip, CPSR organized a campaign that collected over 50,000 signatures opposing the Clipper program.

On June 1, 1994, the CPSR program office for Privacy and Civil Liberties became an independent organization called EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center.


Join CPSR's Privacy Working Group

Add to the expertise of our members.

Working Group members need to be members in good standing of CPSR. Participation in Working Groups is a benefit of membership for those who actually support CPSR. Posting privileges and archives on these members' lists will be available for members/subscribers only.

If you need to join/renew your membership, use our membership form or call 650-322-3778 in the U.S. to pay by credit card.

If you are not sure of your membership status, feel free to ask by writing to evoy@cpsr.org


Links and Privacy Resources at Other Locations


Updated April 22, 2003 Email cpsr@cpsr.org with questions or comments
Archived CPSR Information
Created before October 2004
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