[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

being older and perhaps somewhat wiser in the ways of the world of pol-
itics.
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility began in 1981 in
Palo Alto, as an informal discussion group of Californian computer sci-
entists and technicians, united by nothing more than an electronic mail-
ing list. This typical high-tech ad-hocracy received the dignity of its
own acronym in 1982, and was formally incorporated in 1983.
CPSR lobbied government and public alike with an educational outreach
effort, sternly warning against any foolish and unthinking trust in com-
plex computer systems. CPSR insisted that mere computers should
never be considered a magic panacea for humanity's social, ethical or
political problems. CPSR members were especially troubled about the
stability, safety, and dependability of military computer systems, and
very especially troubled by those systems controlling nuclear arsenals.
CPSR was best-known for its persistent and well- publicized attacks on
the scientific credibility of the Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star
Wars").
In 1990, CPSR was the nation's veteran cyber-political activist group,
with over two thousand members in twenty- one local chapters across
the US. It was especially active in Boston, Silicon Valley, and
Washington DC, where its Washington office sponsored the Public Policy
Roundtable.
The Roundtable, however, had been funded by EFF, which had passed
CPSR an extensive grant for operations. This was the first large-scale,
NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE
B R U C E S T E R L I N G  T H E H A C K E R C R A C K D O W N 3 0 2
official meeting of what was to become the electronic civil libertarian
community.
Sixty people attended, myself included  in this instance, not so much as
a journalist as a cyberpunk author. Many of the luminaries of the field
took part: Kapor and Godwin as a matter of course. Richard Civille and
Marc Rotenberg of CPSR. Jerry Berman of the ACLU. John Quarterman,
author of *The Matrix.* Steven Levy, author of *Hackers.* George
Perry and Sandy Weiss of Prodigy Services, there to network about the
civil-liberties troubles their young commercial network was experi-
encing. Dr. Dorothy Denning. Cliff Figallo, manager of the Well. Steve
Jackson was there, having finally found his ideal target audience, and so
was Craig Neidorf, "Knight Lightning" himself, with his attorney,
Sheldon Zenner. Katie Hafner, science journalist, and co- author of
*Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier.* Dave
Farber, ARPAnet pioneer and fabled Internet guru. Janlori Goldman of
the ACLU's Project on Privacy and Technology. John Nagle of Autodesk
and the Well. Don Goldberg of the House Judiciary Committee. Tom
Guidoboni, the defense attorney in the Internet Worm case. Lance
Hoffman, computer-science professor at The George Washington
University. Eli Noam of Columbia. And a host of others no less distin-
guished.
Senator Patrick Leahy delivered the keynote address, expressing his
determination to keep ahead of the curve on the issue of electronic free
speech. The address was well-received, and the sense of excitement was
palpable. Every panel discussion was interesting  some were entirely
compelling. People networked with an almost frantic interest.
I myself had a most interesting and cordial lunch discussion with Noel
and Jeanne Gayler, Admiral Gayler being a former director of the
National Security Agency. As this was the first known encounter between
an actual no-kidding cyberpunk and a chief executive of America's
largest and best-financed electronic espionage apparat, there was natu-
rally a bit of eyebrow-raising on both sides.
Unfortunately, our discussion was off-the-record. In fact all the dis-
cussions at the CPSR were officially off- the- record, the idea being to
NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE
B R U C E S T E R L I N G  T H E H A C K E R C R A C K D O W N 3 0 3
do some serious networking in an atmosphere of complete frankness,
rather than to stage a media circus.
In any case, CPSR Roundtable, though interesting and intensely valu-
able, was as nothing compared to the truly mind-boggling event that
transpired a mere month later.
_____
"Computers, Freedom and Privacy." Four hundred people from every
conceivable corner of America's electronic community. As a science
fiction writer, I have been to some weird gigs in my day, but this thing
is truly *beyond the pale.* Even "Cyberthon," Point Foundation's
"Woodstock of Cyberspace" where Bay Area psychedelia collided headlong
with the emergent world of computerized virtual reality, was like a
Kiwanis Club gig compared to this astonishing do.
The "electronic community" had reached an apogee. Almost every prin-
cipal in this book is in attendance. Civil Libertarians. Computer Cops.
The Digital Underground. Even a few discreet telco people. Colorcoded
dots for lapel tags are distributed. Free Expression issues. Law
Enforcement. Computer Security. Privacy. Journalists. Lawyers.
Educators. Librarians. Programmers. Stylish punk-black dots for the
hackers and phone phreaks. Almost everyone here seems to wear eight
or nine dots, to have six or seven professional hats.
It is a community. Something like Lebanon perhaps, but a digital nation.
People who had feuded all year in the national press, people who enter-
tained the deepest suspicions of one another's motives and ethics, are
now in each others' laps. "Computers, Freedom and Privacy" had every
reason in the world to turn ugly, and yet except for small irruptions of
puzzling nonsense from the convention's token lunatic, a surprising
bonhomie reigned. CFP was like a wedding-party in which two lovers,
unstable bride and charlatan groom, tie the knot in a clearly disastrous
matrimony.
It is clear to both families  even to neighbors and random guests  that
this is not a workable relationship, and yet the young couple's desperate
attraction can brook no further delay. They simply cannot help them-
NOT FOR COMMERCIAL USE
B R U C E S T E R L I N G  T H E H A C K E R C R A C K D O W N 3 0 4
selves. Crockery will fly, shrieks from their newlywed home will wake [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]