[10362] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
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daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Public-Access Computer Systems For)
Mon Jul 1 21:30:34 1996
Date: Mon, 01 Jul 1996 15:22:18 -0500 (CDT)
From: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <LIBPACS@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
The FBI's position that people can be judged as suspicious due to their
choice of reading material is ludicrous and truly paranoid. The American
people have a lot to fear from an organization which conducts itself in
such a fashion.
Sue Fawcett
B.A., M.L.I.S.
E-mail: sfaw@tenet.edu
On Fri, 28 Jun 1996, PACS-L Moderator wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >From: jwarren@well.com (Jim Warren)
> >Subject: FBI surveillance of library patrons
>
> >[Also by blind cc to others.]
> >
> >It seems appropriate to recap this past(?) FBI surveillance practice --
> >given the:
> >* FBI's half-billion-dollar national wiretap system (mandated by the
> >Democrats in 1994 legislation),
> >* FBI's and Clinton's continuing *vehement* opposition to widespread use of
> >robust privacy protection (standardized uncrackable crypto), and
> >* White House's past (Watergate) and apparently-ongoing use of confidential
> >FBI files compiled on an administration's political opponents.
> >
> >The following is a response that I received to some private dialogue re the
> >FBI's snooping on "suspicious" library patrons and what they read. It is
> >from, Jim Schmidt, past President of the American Library Association's
> >stellar legal-action arm, the Freedom-to-Read Foundation. He is currently
> >in academic librarianship at San Jose State Univerity.
> >
> >--jim
> >Jim Warren, GovAccess list-owner/editor, advocate & columnist
> (jwarren@well.com)
> >345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/<# upon request>
> >
> >[puffery FWIW: Hugh M. Hefner First-Amendment Award, Playboy Foundation;
> >James Madison Freedom-of-Information Award, Soc.of Prof.Journalists-Nor.Cal.;
> >Pioneer Award, Electronic Frontier Foundation (its first year, 1992);
> >founded InfoWorld, DataCast, Computers, Freedom & Privacy confs, etc. :-).]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Date: Wed, 26 Jun 96 12:33:14 PDT
> >From: jim <SCHMIDTC%SJSUVM1.BitNet@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
> >Subject: Re: Librarys
> >To: Jim Warren <jwarren@well.com>
> >
> >Jim
> >
> >I am one of the two living experts on the FBI's Library Awareness Program;
> >the other one wrote a book about it. A short recap below.
> >
> >In 1970 (give or take) after the bombing which cause at least one death of
> >the computer center at U Wisc - Madisson, FBI and ATF folks asked the
> >Milwaukee Public Lib for names of persons who had recently checked out or
> >who still had library books on plastic explosives. From this incident
> >arose the Amer Lib Assoc's first policy on confidentiality of lib recs.
> >
> >The FBI's so-called "Library Awarness Program" was an initiative of the
> >latter 80's, represented by the Agency as limited to scientific and technical
> >libraries and primarily run out of the NY regional office. Given reported
> >visits across the country and not only to scientific and technical libraries
> >we know that the Bureau's characterization of the program is incorrect.
> >
> >From testimony of bureau employees and from documents secured under FOIA,
> >we know that the program of the 80's was in fact a resurrection of one that
> >operated in the 70's, and we have inferential (strongly suggestive)evidence
> >that library visits occurred in the 60's too.
> >
> >The 80's version was the Bureau's contribution to an interagency program
> >coordinated by the CIA, specifically initiated at the behest of the CIA
deputy
> >one Adm Bobby Inman (ret), to limit technology transfer from US to other
> >countries (remember the commodities list, licences required from Dept of
> >Commerce, NSA monopoly re encryption research, etc?) of which Zimmerman's
> >problems with PGP are vestiges as are those that the grad student at Berkeley
> >had to go to court about.
> >
> >As a result of the 80's program, now 46 states have statutes specifically
> >protecting personally identifiable information in library records (there were
> >38 when news broke in Sept 87 of the FBI's visit to the Math Lib at
Columbia).
> >
> >Automated library systems currently do attach at least a patron's name to
> >items he or she has checked out, i.e. still has not returned. Virtually all
> >such systems strip personnally identifiable data from the transaction records
> >when the items are returned. I won't vouch for whether a forensic data
> >specialist (or hacker) could with some amount of work reconstruct who
borrowed
> >what but it wouldn't be easy and getting access to a library's system to do
> >it would be another matter.
> >
> >I think the consciousness of libraries was greatly raised in the 80's and I
> >feel comfortable, especially given the wonderful way the library staff
> >in Montana responded in re Kaczynski, in saying that the staffs won't
> >willingly permit access and that they go to some lengths to assure that
access
> >cannot be gained.
> >
> >Jim Schmidt
> >San Jose State
> >
> >
> >
> >== I asked for & received Jim's permission for arbitrary re-distribution ==
> >
> >Date: Thu, 27 Jun 96 10:43:07 PDT
> >From: jim <SCHMIDTC%SJSUVM1.BITNET@pucc.PRINCETON.EDU>
> >Subject: Re: Librarys
> >To: Jim Warren <jwarren@well.com>
> >
> >you may recirculate to your heart's desire.
> >
> >
> >
>
