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Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility

COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS for SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Turning Thoughts to Actions

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

*Opportunities
*Results of the 2003 Board Elections
*CPSR Activities
*Activities
*Recommendations
*Memorials

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OPPORTUNITIES

The CPSR Board invites you to drinks and dinner honoring Coralee Whitcomb's four years as CPSR President.

This is an opportunity for people to meet, catch up with old friends, and organize for the fights ahead.
Saturday, June 21st, 6 p.m.
Naked Fish Restaurant
Dutch Treat

The CPSR Board will be meeting at Bentley College June 21 and 22. Members are welcome to attend.

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Susan will be in Boston June 20-22 and away from the office again from June 26-July 8.

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Sign a Petition Launched to Reclaim the Public Domain called "First Step" Towards Passage of Public Domain Enhancement Act

As described at http://eldred.cc, the Act would require American copyright owners to pay a very low fee (for example, $1) fifty years after a copyrighted work was published. If the owner pays the fee, the copyright will continue for whatever duration Congress sets. But, as the petition states, "if the copyright is not worth even $1 to the owner, then we believe the work should pass into the public domain."

"We hope this petition will give voice to the thousands of voters out there who want to let Congress know they care about the public domain, and want to showcase works they've created from public domain material," said Lauren Gelman, an attorney who is managing the campaign to pass the Public DomainEnhancement Act. "It is vitally important that all citizens who care about this issue speak up and urge Congress to promote greater balance in the copyright law."

The petition is online at:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/eldred/petition.html

More information on the Public Domain Enhancement Act is at:
http://eldred.cc

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RESULTS OF THE 2003 BOARD ELECTIONS

We will continue to benefit from the contributions of re-elected board members -

Hans Klein of Atlanta, Georgia,
Paul Hyland of Washington, DC, and
Stuart Shapiro of Nashua, NH.

And coming onto the board for the first time are
Nancy White of Seattle, WA,
Veni Markovski of Bulgaria,
Madan Rao of India, and American William Drake,
who is currently living in Switzerland.
The board will lead the way in CPSR's efforts to become the "people's voice" on ICT issues.

Congratulations to all.
We look forward to your work in tackling the challenges ahead.

Coralee

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Call for Book Chapters -
Submission Deadline for Proposals: 15 July, 2003
Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace: Controversies and Solutions
A book edited by Dr. John Weckert, Charles Sturt University, Australia

The use of new technologies, coupled with the fact that there is an increasing amount of work being done on-line, whether on the Internet,intranets, LANs or other networks, has made extensive employee monitoring by employers and managers inexpensive and easy. There are many reasons offered for this monitoring, many of them powerful. Apart from ensuring that employees are doing their work properly, monitoring can assist in employee health and safety, help reduce or eliminate sexual, racial and other forms of harassment, reveal areas in which training is required, and reduce the potential for crime, corruption, and other illegal activities. On the other hand, there is rising concern about the rights of employees, especially with respect to their rights to privacy. There are other concerns as well. There are questions of justice and employee autonomy, of the legitimacy of some informed consent, of respect for employees as persons, and of trust. Clearly there are conflicting rights and interests. Ways need to be found to resolve these conflicts.

The Overall Objective of the Book
This book aims to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and latest empirical research findings in the area. More specifically, it aims to
* examine the relevant concepts involved in workplace electronic monitoring and surveillance (eg. privacy, trust, informed consent, autonomy)
* examine the rights, responsibilities and interests of both employers and employees
* examine philosophical, ethical, legal, psychological, sociological and technical aspects of these issues

The primary purpose of these examinations is to facilitate a more informed debate help develop management and work policies and practices that are just and fair to all parties

The Target Audience
Philosophers, social scientists, lawyers, employers and managers, network managers, union leaders, students, teachers, researchers and professionals in general in information technology, human resource management, industrial relations, and policy.

Recommended topics include but are not limited to the following:

Privacy, Responsibility and autonomy, Informed consent, Trust, Health and safety, Corruption/crime/terrorism, Legal issues, Employer and management perspectives, Employee and union perspectives, Law enforcement perspectives, Civil liberties perspectives

Topics can be approached from empirical, philosophical, ethical or technical perspectives.

Inquiries and Submissions can be forwarded electronically
Word document) or by mail to:
Dr. John Weckert, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics
LPO Box A260, ANU Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
Telephone: 61 2 6125 4754, Fax: 61 2 6125 6579
Email: jweckert@csu.edu.au

******* Seed Grant and Small Innovative Projects Fund, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), The Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) invites project proposals for pilot projects or from new or ongoing small-scale initiatives, not exceeding US$25,000, with a focus on developing countries.
http://www.pambazuka.org/newsletter.php?id=15195

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ACTIVITIES

Hans Klein met with former Congressman Bob Barr to discuss the implications of the Patriot Act for civil liberties. A policy conference on this topic will be held at the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy this fall.

Robert Guerra and Julie Remold attended a preparatory meeting for the World Summit on the Information Society in Rio de Janeiro.

CPSR-Peru, The Lima Chamber of Commerce, and Industry National Society are organizing the I National Conference of Free Software to be held 25 and 26 June.
See: http://www.fopecal.org/congresosl/

CPSR-Peru is sponsoring the I Latinoamerican Conference of Free Software organized by UNESCO, the Peruvian Government and Peruvian Linux user community to be held in Cuzco Peru 11- 13 August 2003
See http://www.lacfree.org

On June 5. CPSR-Peru presented Patrick Ball, Deputy Director of the Science and Human Rights Program for the American Association for the Advancent of Science in a lecture in the National Universtity of Engineering about Human Rights and Free Software and his experience in quantitative analysis for large-scale human rights data projects for truth commissions.

In May CPSR-Peru presented Robert Guerra, Managing Director of Privaterra, lecturing in the National Universtity of Engineering about privacy and security.

Carlos Horna and Gustavo Hung, founders of CPSR-Peru are speaking at the National Conference of Free Software FOPECAL
See http://www.fopecal.org/congresosl/

Katitza Rodríguez and Robert Guerra attended the OurMedia conference in Barranquilla Columbia. Our Media is a global network of activists, academics, and practitioners working toward stronger alternative, community and citizens' media. If someone wants to join the network please send an email to Katitza@cpsr.org with the subject OurMedia.
See http://www.peru.cpsr.org

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Herb Kanner rates Robin Rice's "The USA PATRIOT Act and American Libraries" the best article on the Patriot Act that he has ever seen.
http://www.libr.org/ISC/articles/16-Rice.html

Free As In Education
This OSS project report looks at the "Significance of Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) for Developing Countries".
http://www.maailma.kaapeli.fi/FLOSS_for_dev.html

ICT For Development Guide
This online guide provides the latest information on policy, funding, events, jobs, toolkits and more.
http://www.eldis.org/ict/index.htm

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MEMORIALS

With great sadness, members reported deaths of CPSR members.

Anita Borg Computer scientist Anita Borg dies

By Alorie Gilbert

Staff Writer, CNET News.com

April 8, 2003, 12:23 PM PT

Anita Borg, a respected computer scientist who worked to increase the ranks of women in technology, died late Sunday.

The cause of her death was brain cancer, according to the Institute for Women and Technology. She was 54.

Borg, who lived in Los Altos Hills, Calif., founded the Institute for Women and Technology in 1997. The nonprofit group seeks to help increase the number of women in high-tech jobs and expand women's impact on technology design.

"We'll try to be a catalyst for development projects that include women at all levels--in the design and development process," Borg told CNET News.com in a 1998 interview about the Institute. "It doesn't help to just get women's opinions and then turn them over to an all-white-male engineering team."

Borg was a co-founder of the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, a technical conference now run by the institute that showcases the successes of women in the field. The conference, which started in 1994, is now the largest gathering of its kind. Borg's advocacy work began in 1987, when she started an online community called Systers that provides support and encouragement to female engineers. The group has grown to 2,500 women in 38 countries.

In 1999, President Clinton appointed Borg to the Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology. In 2002 she received a Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment.

Born in Chicago, Borg got her first programming job in 1969 and went on to earn a doctorate in computer science from the Courant Institute at New York University in 1981. Her career included 12 years at Digital Equipment's research labs.

Borg is survived by her husband, Winfried Wilcke; a sister, Lee Naffz; and her mother, Beverly Naffz. A private memorial is planned.
http://news.com.com/2100-1032-996015.html

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Rob Kling

"Rob Kling Was Expert on Social Aspects of Computerization"

Rob Kling, Professor of Information Systems and Information Science at the Indiana University School of Library and Information Science, died unexpectedly on May 14. A long-time member of USACM...
http://www.acm.org/membernet/stories/kling_05-03.html

"While at UC Irvine, Rob was a long-time member and supporter of CPSR/LA, a featured speaker at several CPSR/LA meetings, and our host for occasional CPSR/LA meetings at UC Irvine. He will be missed." - Rodney Hoffman, CPSR Los Angeles

Indiana University obituary:
http://www.idsnews.com/story.php?id=16750

Los Angeles Times obituary:
http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-me-kling26may26,1,5008267.story

Rob's homepage: http://www.slis.indiana.edu/faculty/kling/

"Remembering Rob Kling": http://www.slis.indiana.edu/klingremembered/

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Patricia (Pat) Radin

Phil Bereano and Doug Schuler Mark Her Loss

Pat Radin, a stalwart of the Washington Biotechnology Action Council until 2 years ago when she left to become an Assistant Professor of Mass Communications at California State University, Hayward, died in her sleep of a massive coronary. Her passing is a tragedy for her family, friends and colleagues, and the progressive movement in this country.

Pat was a student in my classes, building on the education she received at the University of Lund (Sweden) where she focussed on biotech policy; she knew the people at the Danish Board of Technology and was a student of their approach to citizen involvement in technology assessment. I served on her PhD Committee in the School of Communication; her thesis, under the auspices of the Canadian Studies Program, was on women's uses of the internet to effectuate their own specific needs. She investigated how a Canadian/US network of women with breast cancer built an electronic structure of support and knowledge dissemination; they accepted her as a trusted and valued comrade (as did all of us privileged to work with Pat).

Pat often taught my classes when I was abroad doing biotech advocacy work. Within WashBAC, she was a particular nemesis of Immunex, exposing the scam behind Seattle's subsidies to a new plant they built near the waterfront; with the acquisition of the company by another one, many of the promised jobs were lost or never materialized, as she had warned. She was the designer and "webmistress" of WashBAC's first website, working with a local artist to produce those wonderful sarcastic illustrations which were scattered throughout our text; the new one we are working on will be dedicated to Pat.

She was active in Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility, and was on the program at several of their conferences. I understand that she was due to leave shortly for Sweden to present a paper. She had offered to help in the planning of events around my retirement, two years hence.

Pat was a constant mass of energy. A blond grandmother who could talk more rapidly than any of the rest of us, she animated WashBAC's potluck meetings (often held at her apartment on Queen Anne hill). She could readily combine French deconstructionists, a Monsanto press release, and the latest biotech emails into a single sentence, and her cogent analysis would inspire us to action. She enjoyed helping to host visiting biotech activists.

The breadth of Pat's interests, her passion for social justice, her raucous good humor--all will be sorely missed (and, yes, those wonderful fruit pies she made for the potlucks).

Dear Pat Radin, we will think of you poignantly many times in the years to come.

-Phil Bereano, Professor, Technical Communication Department
University of Washington, Seattle

Pat was a longtime CPSR supporter and author of the pattern "Effective Mutual-Help Medical Websites"
http://diac.cpsr.org/cgi-bin/diac02/pattern.cgi/public?pattern_id=135
For those who knew her, it's redundant to say that we'll miss her ebullience, engagement, intelligence and humanity. It would be a laudable goal for all of us to manifest some of Pat's spirit.- Doug Schuler

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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@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.

(c) Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility 2003.
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--
Susan Evoy * Managing Director
http://www.cpsr.org/
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
P.O. Box 717 * Palo Alto * CA * 94302
Phone: (650) 322-3778 * (650) 322-4748 (fax)
Email: evoy@cpsr.org