Date: Tue, 15 Mar 94 14:34:58 EST
Errors-To: Comp-privacy Error Handler <owner-comp-privacy@uwm.edu>
From: Computer Privacy Digest Moderator <comp-privacy@uwm.edu>
To: Comp-privacy@uwm.edu
Subject: Computer Privacy Digest V4#042
Computer Privacy Digest Tue, 15 Mar 94 Volume 4 : Issue: 042
Today's Topics: Moderator: Leonard P. Levine
Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents
Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents
Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy
Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy
Re: CHIPS...
Re: CHIPS...
Re: CHIPS...
Video tape rental records
The Computer Privacy Digest is a forum for discussion on the effect
of technology on privacy. The digest is moderated and gatewayed into
the USENET newsgroup comp.society.privacy (Moderated). Submissions
should be sent to comp-privacy@uwm.edu and administrative requests
to comp-privacy-request@uwm.edu. Back issues are available via
anonymous ftp on ftp.cs.uwm.edu [129.89.9.18]. Login as "ftp"
with password "yourid@yoursite". The archives are in the directory
"pub/comp-privacy". Archives are also held at ftp.pica.army.mil
[129.139.160.133].
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: decastro@netcom.com (Richard A. De Castro)
Date: 12 Mar 1994 22:28:27 GMT
Subject: Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
minie@hsuseq.humboldt.edu (Carl Minie) writes: I work at a
university which is in the process of installing several modules of
BANNER, an Oracle-based system written for educational
institutions. The vendor of BANNER, Systems and Computer
Technology (SCT), maintains several Internet lists which are used
by SCT to communicate with BANNER installations and for
installations to exchange information.
Recently, a suggestion was made on one of these lists by a BANNER
site, one of the campuses of the State University of New York,
seeking an enhancement to the BANNER module that involves student
housing. Part of the suggestion reads as follows:
"Currently there is no way in BANNER to list all residents of a
particular room by their occupancy dates. We need this information
in order to bill students accurately for dorm damages. We are also
asked to provide information to various agencies (Attorney General,
FBI, etc.) that requires verification of a particular student's
residency on campus."
My question is this: why are the Attorney General, the FBI, et.
al., verifying student residences? I would appreciate if someone
with particular knowledge of law enforcement and/or education would
tell me why the government is asking universities to keep track of
dormitory students. Thank you in advance for your replies.
Well, it might be completely innocent. After the student graduates and
applies for a job with the government (including the military)
requiring a security clearance, they ask for that information.
It's pretty silly to want the information on when you occupied a dorm
room, since most, if not all, of the people nearby (who would normally
be interviewed as part of a background investigation) won't be there,
but few have accused the government of always making sense.
Or, it could be some giant conspiracy.
--
============================================================================
decastro@netcom.com Warning: I am a trained professional. No, Really!
Rick N6RCX EMT-A ATP Do Not try this yourself - it could get ugly......
Richard A. De Castro - California, but not for ever. Home wanted.
===========================================================================
------------------------------
From: sobiloff@lap.umd.edu (Blake Sobiloff)
Date: 14 Mar 1994 19:03:44 -0500
Subject: Re: Government Tracking Dorm Residents
Organization: Lab for Automation Psychology
minie@hsuseq.humboldt.edu (Carl Minie) wrote: "Currently there is
no way in BANNER to list all residents of a particular room by
their occupancy dates. We need this information in order to bill
students accurately for dorm damages. We are also asked to provide
information to various agencies (Attorney General, FBI, etc.) that
requires verification of a particular student's residency on
campus."
My question is this: why are the Attorney General, the FBI, et.
al., verifying student residences? I would appreciate if someone
with particular knowledge of law enforcement and/or education would
tell me why the government is asking universities to keep track of
dormitory students. Thank you in advance for your replies.
I think you're misinterpreting the quote; it sounds like the university
simply wants to be able to prove that a student, who has come under
investigation by a law enforcement agency, resides in a particular
location on campus. While I don't have a problem with this, per se, I
certainly hope that the campus has procedures for such requests which
insure the privacy of its students.
--
Blake Sobiloff <sobiloff@lap.umd.edu> | University of Maryland
Laboratory for Automation Psychology | College Park, MD 20742-4411
Department of Psychology | 301/405-5936 (Voice)
------------------------------
From: RATHINAM@INS.INFONET.NET
Date: 11 Mar 1994 22:32:16 -0600 (CST)
Subject: Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy
L. Levine wrote: I have been given a cut from several electronic
boards that are used by journalists in their electronic
interaction. What follows is my edited compendium of what appeared
in these boards. It gives a look at the varying ethics of members
of the working press as they puzzle their way through these
issues.
Do you have any technical details? Did they login, see "You have N
messages" and then log out, or did they do a "directory" and read who
the messages are from and what the Subject matter was. Who know how
many other people's mail boxes were looked at!
The anology people use could be simpler - it is like looking in
someone's mailbox to see if they have mail. (If they look at subject
matter, it is a little bit more serious - it is like someone opening
the mail to look at the first few lines and putting it back -
arguably. Bills need not be opened for subject matter, for example.)
What do you think would have happened if there was just ONE reporter,
instead of three together? In my mind, they don't have a whole lot of
credibility left.
------------------------------
From: Charles Howes <chowes@sfu.ca>
Date: 11 Mar 94 22:10:28 PST
Subject: Re: Tanya Harding's Privacy
Organization: Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, B.C., Canada
L. Levine wrote: I have been given a cut from several electronic
boards that are used by journalists in their electronic
interaction. What follows is my edited compendium of what appeared
in these boards. It gives a look at the varying ethics of members
of the working press as they puzzle their way through these
issues.
I was wondering if I might gain access to these boards. Are they
public, private, pay, or other? Your message has piqued my interest in
journalism and journalists. (Also, reading the news before it becomes
news sounds neat...)
--
Charles Howes -- chowes@sfu.ca
Doctors report that they have discovered a cure for apathy.
However nobody has shown the slightest interest in it.
[Moderator: At least one of the boards "alt.journalism" is available
at my campus. Others I cannot find.]
------------------------------
From: grweiss@tucson.princeton.edu (Gregory R. Weiss)
Date: 12 Mar 1994 23:46:03 GMT
Subject: Re: CHIPS...
Organization: Princeton University
Lile Elam (lile@netcom.com) wrote: [...] : Well, I said I
didn't want a chip in this cat and that it was a violation of
privacy. [...] I was really upset about this. My housemate
asked me why and I said, "It's too close. Don't forget that we
are animals too!
Steve Bernard <sbernard@tardis-b4.ethz.ch> wrote: Uh, I'm not sure
I follow you on this. Has there been any other precedent where
treatment of animals has propogated to humans? I'm pretty sure
we're not putting people to sleep yet because they don't have a
home. What about getting spayed and neutered? This is a good
thing with animals yet I don't think we need worry about that
happening to us.
I agree that it's not clear that treatment of animals is only a small
step away from treatment of humans. However, I would like to remind
people that the government (I believe it was not federal government,
but a number of different state governments) has "neutered" mentally
ill patients without their consent so that they would not be able to
have children. I shudder
I would appreciate anyone with more detailed knowledge of this to step
forward and comment. There was even a Supreme Court appeal where the
defendant did not want to be treated and lost her appeal. My roommate
refers to the case as "three generations is enough," because apparently
the defendant was the third generation in her family that was supported
by state mental institutions.
------------------------------
From: bernie@fantasyfarm.com (Bernie Cosell)
Date: 12 March 1994 01:04 EST
Subject: Re: CHIPS...
Organization: Fantasy Farm Fibers
L. Levine wrote: I am not sure whose privacy is being invaded
here. If you feel that the cat needs this privacy then you have
gone too far in my judgement. ...
One thing I am amazed by, still, though, is the apparently
*overwhelming* response she's gotten [claims better than 9:1 in favor
of her fears] and the general immediate-support on the digest. It
strikes me as a VERY sad time for marshalling troops to _really_ affect
our provacy when so many seem to have so little clue what the issues
are really all about...
In any event, thanks for the good posting... it was nice to read
something that I wanted to write, only written-right for a change...
--
Bernie Cosell bernie@fantasyfarm.com
Fantasy Farm Fibers, Pearisburg, VA (703) 921-2358
------------------------------
From: michael@stb.info.com (Michael Gersten)
Date: 14 Mar 94 23:30 PST
Subject: Re: CHIPS...
Some years ago, in order to protect my privacy, I registered my
phone under the name "Mehitabel DeCatte" (pronounced "Mehitabel
the cat"). Having such a "nom de phone" was legal and was cheaper
than having an unlisted number. Our cat, Mehitabel, did live at
our residence with
Ok, for all of you who do something like this, how?
When I tried to get a different name for my phone, I was told it wasn't
possible. They wanted either my Soc Sec Number, which I wouldn't give
out, or my drivers license, presented in person, so that they could
verify my identity.
They wouldn't let me use a fake name, and in fact, I asked directly,
and was told it wasn't possible.
(This was GTE).
So those of you who do, what method do you use?
--
Michael Gersten michael@stb.info.com
NeXT Registered Developer (NeRD) # 3860 -- Hire me! (Ready _NOW_)
------------------------------
From: O1EVERT@vm1.CC.UAKRON.EDU (Tom Evert)
Date: 15 Mar 1994 01:50:33 GMT
Subject: Video tape rental records
Organization: The University of Akron
I remember hearing that a court order is required to obtain video tape
rental records. (Why someone would want these records is beyond me!)
If this is true - is this a federal law?
Thanks...Tom
------------------------------
End of Computer Privacy Digest V4 #042
******************************
.