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CPSR Newsletter Fall 1995

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Guest Editors' Note

by Mary Connors and Dave Redell, Guest Editors

CPSR News Volume 13, Number 3: Fall 1995

In this edition of the Newsletter we revisit the issue of privacy, an area that has been of long-standing interest to CPSR members. We realize that there are numerous privacy issues that remain to be resolved. However, in this edition we focus on those privacy areas that have arisen, or have become highly salient, during the last several years. The "newness" that we have tried to capture refers in some instances to the technology itself, in others to recent implementations or legal rulings that affect privacy rights. This issue features the following articles.

In The Legal Right to Privacy in Electronic Communications, Tim Stanley discusses the present state of legal protections for those using electronic messaging, both on and off the job.
Steve Dever's article on Privacy Threats from Genetic Research examines the privacy implications of being able to trace human activity and predict human capability on the basis of genetic testing.
In Digital Signature Legislation, Brad Biddle discusses how the current activity concerning digital key legislation could affect the way public key technology develops, and the implied consequences.
Mary Connors considers "Public" Records in the Electronic Age, calling attention to the threat to privacy from a simple conversion of so-called public records to electronic formats that make distribution easy.
Phil Agre, Looking Down the Road at transport informatics, sees not just the possibilities, but also the privacy threats associated with tracking and recording vehicular movement.

It is our hope that, in reading this issue, CPSR members will identify how their own special interests and talents could be employed in securing the right to privacy in the electronic age. Historically, privacy has been a cherished civil right. Unless we actively engage ourselves in its defense, it may not survive for long.

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