BBS in a Box 2/BBS in a box - Trilogy II.iso/Files/Mag/D-G/Electronic Frontier/Eff-about

Text File | 1993-08-05 | 11.1 KB | 274 lines | [TEXT/EDIT]

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General Information About the Electronic Frontier Foundation
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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was founded in July of 1990
to ensure that the principles embodied in the Constitution and the Bill
of Rights are protected as new communications technologies emerge.

From the beginning, EFF has worked to shape our nation's communications
infrastructure and the policies that govern it in order to maintain and
enhance First Amendment, privacy and other democratic values. We believe
that our overriding public goal must be the creation of Electronic
Democracy, so our work focuses on the establishment of:

* new laws that protect citizens' basic Constitutional rights as they
  use new communications technologies,

* a policy of common carriage requirements for all network providers
  so that all speech, no matter how controversial, will be carried without
  discrimination,

* a National Public Network where voice, data and video services are
  accessible to all citizens on an equitable and affordable basis, and

* a diversity of communities that enable all citizens to have a voice in
  the information age.


Information Infrastructure

EFF's Open Platform Proposal advocates that the nation's telecommunications
infrastructure providers offer affordable, widely available transmission of voice,
data and video information.  The telecommunications infrastructure must promote
broad access and enable citizens to receive and publish a diversity of information.
In addition, a competitive environment must be ensured to preserve the core
principles of common carriage, universal service and open standards.

In the near term, EFF supports the implementation of services such as ISDN and
ADSL, currently available digital technologies, for sending voice, data and video at
reasonable cost to consumers.

EFF supports federal funding to promote the development of network tools and
applications that will make the Internet and the NREN easier to use.  Although the
NREN will be made up of services from commercial providers, government also has
a vital role to play in making grants to institutions that cannot afford to pay for
Internet connectivity.

Civil Liberties

EFF has been working to ensure that common carrier principles are upheld in the
information age.  Common carrier principles require that network providers carry
all speech, regardless of its controversial content.  Common carriers must also
provide all speakers and information providers with equal, nondiscriminatory
access to the network.

EFF chairs the Digital Security and Privacy Working Group, a coalition of over 50
organizations–from computer software and hardware firms, telecommunications
and energy companies to civil liberties advocates–that work on sound privacy
policies in telecommunications.  For example, the group has worked to oppose the
FBI's Digital Telephony proposal and government-mandated encryption policies.

EFF is working to convince Congress that all measures supporting broader public
access to information should be enacted into law.  EFF supports an Electronic
Freedom of Information Act and other legislation to make information more
accessible to citizens in electronic formats.

EFF supports both legal and technical means to enhance privacy in
communications.  We, therefore, advocate all measures that ensure the public’s right
to use the most effective encryption technologies available.

Legal Services

EFF sponsors legal cases where users’ online civil liberties have been violated.  The
Steve Jackson Games case, decided in March of 1993, established privacy protections
for electronic publishers and users of electronic mail.  We continue to monitor the
online community for legal actions that merit EFF support.

EFF provides a free telephone hotline for members of the online community who
have questions regarding their legal rights.

Members of EFF’s staff and board speak to law enforcement organizations, state
attorney bar associations and university classes on the work that we do and how
these groups can get involved.

Community Building

EFF, in conjunction with the Consumer Federation of America and the American
Civil Liberties Union, coordinates and sponsors the Communications Policy Forum
(CPF).  CPF enables nonprofit organizations, computer and communications firms,
and government policymakers to come together in a nonpartisan setting to discuss
communications policy goals and strategies.

EFF works with local organizations that support online communications issues.  In
September of 1993, EFF will cosponsor a cryptography conference with a group in
Austin, Texas.  Earlier this year, EFF sponsored a summit of groups from around the
country to discuss common goals.  We also participate in an online mailing list for
organizations that share our interests.

EFF is a funder and organizer of the annual Computers, Freedom and Privacy
conference, where academics, civil libertarians, law enforcement officials and
computer users all meet to discuss the privacy implications of communicating
online.  Each year at the conference, EFF presents its Pioneer awards to individuals
who have made significant contributions to computer communications.

EFF maintains several communications forums online.  We have our own Internet
node, eff.org, which houses our ftp and gopher sites and our discussion areas,
comp.org.eff.talk and comp.org.eff.news.  EFF also maintains conferences on the
Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link (WELL), CompuServe and America Online.


HOW TO CONNECT TO EFF

Internet and USENET:

General information requests, including requests to be added to the
EFFector Online mailing list, can be sent to [e-mail].

If you receive any USENET newsgroups, your site may carry the newsgroups
comp.org.eff.news and comp.org.eff.talk. The former is a moderated
newsgroup for announcements, newsletters, and other information; the latter
is an unmoderated discussion group for discussing EFF and issues relating
to the electronic frontier.

For those unable to read the newsgroups, there are redistributions via
electronic mail. Send requests to be added to or dropped from the
comp.org.eff.news mailing list to [e-mail]. For the
comp.org.eff.talk mailing list, send a note to [e-mail].
Please note that eff.talk can be extremely high-volume at times.

A document library containing all EFF news releases and other publications
of interest, including John Perry Barlow's history of EFF, "Crime and
Puzzlement," is available via anonymous FTP from ftp.eff.org. Send a note
to [e-mail] if you have questions or are unable to use FTP.

To be added to a mailing list specifically discussing technical and policy
issues, send a note to [e-mail].


The WELL:

The WELL is host to an active EFF conference, as well as many other related
conferences of interest to EFF supporters. Access to the WELL is $15/month
plus $2/hour. Telecom access is available through the CompuServe Packet
Network for an additional $4.50/hour. If you have an Internet connection,
you can reach the WELL via telnet at well.sf.ca.us; otherwise, dial
[phone] (data). The WELL's voice number is [phone].


CompuServe:

Our forum on CompuServe is also open. GO EFFSIG to join. Many of the files
on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of interest, are mirrored in the
EFFSIG Libraries.


America Online:

EFF hosts a Special Interest Group on America Online as part of the
Macintosh Communications Forum (MCM). GOTO Keyword EFF to join. Many
of the files on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of interest, are
mirrored in this forum. In addition, EFF sponsors an interactive discussion
on this forum the second Saturday night of each month at 9:00 p.m. ET.


OUR ADDRESSES

Electronic Frontier Foundation
1001 G Street, NW
Suite 950 East
Washington, DC 20001
[phone]
[phone] FAX
Internet: [e-mail]

MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
==========================================================
Print out and mail to:
Membership Coordinator
Electronic Frontier Foundation
1001 G St. NW, Suite 950 East, Washington, DC 20001


I wish to become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
I enclose:

$__________ Regular membership -- $40
$__________ Student membership -- $20


Special Contribution

I wish to make a tax-deductible donation in the amount of $__________
to further support the activities of EFF and to broaden participation
in the organization.


Documents Available in Hard Copy Form

The following documents are available free of charge from the Electronic
Frontier Foundation. Please indicate any of the documents you wish to receive.

___ Open Platform Proposal - EFF's proposal for a national telecommunications
infrastructure. 12 pages. July, 1992

___ An Analysis of the FBI Digital Telephony Proposal - Response of
EFF-organized coalition to the FBI's digital telephony proposal of Fall, 1992.
8 pages. September, 1992.

___ Building the Open Road: The NREN and the National Public Network -
A discussion of the National Research and Education Network as a prototype
for a National Public Network. 20 pages. May, 1992.

___ Innovative Services Delivered Now: ISDN Applications at Home, School,
the Workplace and Beyond - A compilation of ISDN applications currently in
use. 29 pages. January, 1993.

___ Decrypting the Puzzle Palace - John Perry Barlow's argument for strong
encryption and the need for an end to U.S. policies preventing its development
and use. 13 pages. May, 1992.

___ Crime and Puzzlement - John Perry Barlow's piece on the founding of the
Electronic Frontier Foundation and the world of hackers, crackers and those
accused of computer crimes. 24 pages. June, 1990.

___ Networks & Policy - A quarterly newsletter detailing EFF's activities
and achievements.


Your Contact Information:

Name: __________________________________________________________

Organization: __________________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Phone: (____) _______________ FAX: (____) _______________ (optional)

E-mail address: ___________________________________________________


Payment Method

___ Enclosed is a check payable to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

___ Please charge my:
___ MasterCard ___ Visa ___ American Express

Card Number: ___________________________________________

Expiration Date: _______________________________________

Signature: _____________________________________________


Privacy Policy

EFF occasionally shares our mailing list with other organizations promoting
similar goals. However, we respect an individual's right to privacy and will
not distribute your name without explicit permission.

___ I grant permission for the EFF to distribute my name and contact
information to organizations sharing similar goals.



The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) organization
supported by contributions from individual members, corporations and private
foundations. Donations are tax-deductible.