Privacy and Civil Liberties

• Privacy Issues
• Some of CPSR's Past Privacy Campaigns
• Join CPSR's Privacy Working Group
• Other privacy organizations and resources

Some Activities

• Other CPSR Privacy Groups

• CPSR Privaterra Project - a coalition of computer professionals, human rights workers and human rights organizations joined to harness the power of technology and help protect human rights.
• CPSR's Cyber Rights Working Group

  Popular Privacy References from CPSR

• CPSR's 1996 Electronic Privacy Principles
• National Identification Schemes        Analysis FAQ | Links
  
• Privacy and Your Social Security Number       
• Data Privacy and P3P
• Some Frequently Asked Questions About Data Privacy and P3P
• Social Security Number FAQ & Links - Everything you need to know about SSNs
• Spam - What it is, how to stop it, what to do about it
• Junk Mail - Why it comes and how to stop it
• Other CPSR Publications about Privacy

  CPSR Privacy Events

• Forum on the privacy and civil liberty implications of the design and deployment of surveillance and profiling systems by the US government - Research Triangle Park, NC Chapter - April 25, 2003
• Citizen of the Republic: The National ID Card Debate - Pittsburgh Chapter - December 5, 2001
• Forum on Personal Privacy - Research Triangle Park Chapter - May 23, 2001
• Drawing the Blinds: Reconstructing Privacy in the Information Age - CPSR's Annual Conference - October 2000; and The CPSR Newsletter about the conference
• US Congressman Bob Barr talk on "Civil Liberties in Cyberspace" Georgia Tech, February 15, 2002

  CPSR Support for Privacy

• CPSR signed a letter and petition from EPIC to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget requiring accuracy for the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) record system
• CPSR signed onto the EPIC Complaint and Request for Injunction, Investigation and for Other Relief in the Matter of Amazon.com Inc. before the Federal Trade Commission - April 22, 2003
  
• "Big Brother is Already Here" - CPSR's President signed full page ad in the January 17, 2003 New York Times CPSR co-sponsors
• CPSR co-signs letter to EU Council of Ministers urging retention of internet privacy rules in light of Bush request.
• Letter to Majority Leader Armey on Privacy, July 3, 2001
• CPSR Joins Consumer and Privacy Groups in Outlining Federal Trade Commission Priorities, July 17 2001
• CPSR Signs onto Pledge by the Privacy Coalition
• CPSR Withdraws from Amazon Associates Program, Septemer 20, 2000
• CPSR, ACLU and EPIC form Internet Democracy Project. July 7, 2000 Press Release.
• Civil Rights Organisations Support Strong Encryption Policy in Germany May 9, 1997
• Privacy Policy Statement by CPSR/Boston May 8, 1997
• Key Recovery Letter April 22, 1997
• British and Foreign Civil Rights Organisations Oppose Encryption Paper April 9, 1997
• The Clinton Administration Builds its Campaign Against Privacy: An Analysis of the Key Recovery Draft Legislation on 12 March 1997, by Andy Oram.

  CPSR Privacy Testimony

• Computer Experts Question National Identification Schemes
  National ID -- California State Judiciary Hearings: Summary
• Social Security Administration Public Forum #2 Privacy and Customer Service in the Electronic Age, testimony by Netiva Caftori - May 16, 1997

  CPSR's Norbert Wiener Award Winners for Privacy Work

• 2000 - Marc Rotenberg - For his ongoing efforts through CPSR and the Electronic Privacy Information Center to protect the loss of public's privacy through technological innovation.
• 1996 -Phil Zimmermann - Inventor of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP). PGP allows the average person to encode his or her email. Previously, only governments or large corporations could make their email secure.

  Other CPSR Privacy Resources

• CPSR's Privacy Policy
• Protect Your Privacy; a short list of resources
• Computer Crime and Legal Resource Directory
• Cryptography - Information and Links
• Wiretapping - Information and Links
• Privacy Addresses - by Chris Hibbert
• CPSR's Privacy Archives

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

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

• CDT's Health Information Privacy Issues Page
  
• CDT Privacy Issues Page
  
• Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference
  
• EFF's Privacy Links and Information
• Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)
• Privacy International
• privacy.org - the site for news, information, and action
• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
• Pretty Good Privacy, Inc. Home Page
  
• Private Citizen Web Page (sells phone privacy devices!)
  
• U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft
• Old Californa Privay Interest Group
  
• COMPUTERS, FREEDOM & PRIVACY VIDEO LIBRARY Course Materials, Curricula, Curriculum
  
• BrowserSpy - See what others can see about you!
  
• World Wide Web Consortium Privacy and Demographics Area
  
• World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Cryptography Pages