Jun 1, 1998 12:00 PM

Truth Commissioner

By Todd Lappin

| THE NETIZEN

| Truth Commissioner

Sysop for Soros

VCR: Copyright Victim?

NSA Reads Europe's Email

You Call This Self-Regulation?

Baby Bells Battle for Bandwidth

Securing a Crypto Standard

The OECD's New World Order

Raw Data

<h4>#### the Guatemalan military to the South African apartheid police, code cruncher Patrick Ball singles out the perpetrators of political violence.</h4 Asenior program associate with the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, DC, Patrick Ball has pioneered a unique craft – designing information management systems that use statistics to identify patterns and perpetrators of political violence.

Epped with relational databases, PGP encryption software, and whatever computers he can find for local investigators, Ball works with host nations to compile and organize testimony from victims of oppression. This July, his research will be included as part of the Commission for Historical Clarification's final report on atrocities committed during years of civil war in Guatemala.

Aw days later, backed by Ball's findings, South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission will release its investigation on the abuses carried out under apartheid.

"database allows us to extract important trends about human rights abuse," says Paul vanZyl, executive secretary of South Africa's truth commission. "That is astonishingly important."

Ar meticulously collecting testimonials from victims and witnesses – 20,000 in the case of South Africa, 7,500 in Guatemala – Ball uses social science techniques to catalog and compare the accounts. Applying quantitative tools makes it possible to understand history in ways that would not have been possible using testimonials alone. During a 1992 project in El Salvador, for instance, Ball compared a database of 8,000 testimonials with one containing the career histories of 400 Salvadoran military officers. By matching the officers' career segments with the date and "perpetrating unit" of known violations, Ball identified the 100 worst offenders within the military.

Sglimmers of truth can help heal damage caused by years of brutal violence. As Ball describes it, "When you're uncovering the truth about the Guatemalan military or the South African apartheid police, you're looking straight into the face of evil. Resisting evil is constantly energizing."

Wfunding from multimillionaire financier George Soros, the Open Society Institute's Manhattan-based Internet Program is marking its fifth anniversary this year, having spent that time – and US$25 million – using the Net to foster free and open communication. d</emed program director Jonathan Peizer for a status report.

<****additions:</ste Internet Program was started to create 'survival connectivity' in places where it otherwise wouldn't exist. We still do that, but now we also fund content development and Internet training. In East Jerusalem and Jordan, we're sponsoring an Arabic news service. We're also assembling online cultural centers in former Soviet republics like Tajikistan and Azerbaijan." <strtest hits:</ste program has connected at least 500,000 people to the Internet. We've got projects in every country in central and Eastern Europe, from Estonia to Turkmenistan. We're also one of the largest ISPs in Albania and Romania." <strest fiascoes:</ste Internet training conference we cosponsored in South Africa was a disaster. It was so bad, the people we brought in for training actually got up to do the training themselves. In Slovenia, one ISP project turned into Peyton Place. First, our local technical guy hijacked all the hardware from his partner. Then the technical guy's wife died in a car accident, and the partners continued their fight after the funeral. Ultimately, they decided to compete against one other. We ended up getting two ISPs for the price of one." <str Soros?</stros doesn't always understand the details of the technology, but he has a great intuitive sense for what needs to happen. It's an ideal situation – he provides the funding, then leaves it to me to make sure the projects get done."</st

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Socialans conflict with your favorite sitcom? You can always record the show on your VCR, right? Not if the proponents of HR 2281 get their way. Backed by the White House, the bill would outlaw private, noncommercial recording of copyrighted material by banning devices that can circumvent copy protection. Foes say the bill threatens to stifle innovation and restrict the "fair use" rights enjoyed by owners of VCRs, PCs, and other digital equipment. As an alternative, the Home Recording Rights Coalition has rallied behind the Digital Era Copyright Enhancement Act (HR 3048), which targets unlawful copying rather than consumer products.

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EuropParliament is shining an unflattering light on the activities of the US National Security Agency. The parliament's Civil Liberties Committee has been in an uproar ever since the release of a report – "An Appraisal of Technologies of Political Control" – that includes a detailed discussion of the NSA's global surveillance network, codenamed Echelon. Europe now intends to embark on a very public investigation that could redden faces throughout the American intelligence community. Equi

h powerful artificial intelligence capabilities, Echelon intercepts electronic messages and extracts information using selective keyword searches. "Within Europe, all email, telephone, and fax communications are routinely intercepted by the NSA," the report observes, adding that the surveillance system is primarily designed for nonmilitary targets – "governments, organizations, and businesses in virtually every country." Such

il revelations about economic espionage and large-scale privacy violations have been widely noticed. The Norwegians have called for an inquiry, and the issue is now on the agenda of the British, Dutch, and Italian legislatures. The European Parliament plans to explore the constitutional implications of the Echelon system, while one of its subgroups will commission a follow-up report.

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FTC C#### ssioner Christine Varney warns that the market isn't doing much to protect consumer privacy – and the alternative is government action.</h4> During hyears I spent at the US Federal Trade Commission, I worked with the Clinton administration to urge the private sector to take the lead in protecting personal data. At the time, I was confident that market-based initiatives would protect privacy more effectively than a government watchdog. Since then, however, my opinion has changed. As much as I support market-based solutions, government action may be necessary when the market fails. And so far, the market hasn't done much about the public's concerns. It's tim

re US to get serious. Privacy stories are popping up in leading newspapers every few weeks. From the outcry over Lexis-Nexis's P-Trak service to concerns about pharmacy records to the Social Security Administration's online debacle, these issues have become front-page news. Meanwhil

huropean Union Data Protection Directive is set to take effect in October. (See "<a href="http:// Privacy, No Trade</a>," Wired> 6 page) Under the directive, the EU will impose strict international rules governing the collection, use, and exchange of personal information about European citizens. But as the EU deadline draws near, I suspect Europeans will find US standards inadequate – a determination that could prohibit the transfer of data to this country. Because

tdata is cheap, abundant, and easy to manipulate, many Americans have called for predictable and enforceable rules governing its collection and use. This is no longer just a neat idea – it's already clear that privacy jitters are holding back ecommerce. According to a recent Business Week/Harris Poll, for example, "worries about protecting personal information on the Net ranked as the top reason people are staying off the Web." And among the 77 percent of Internet users who have never purchased products on the Net, 86 percent say they have been holding back out of fear that others might use their credit card number without their consent. The US g

nt is under pressure to find a solution. This spring, the FTC began an audit of US privacy policies. Over at the Commerce Department, officials are preparing a report to assess and develop codes of conduct and self-regulation – a document that will be presented to President Clinton on July 1. Based on what I see, it will be very difficult for our government to mount a credible argument that the US maintains effective privacy protections. And that may spell big trouble for American companies – not just in Europe, but also on their home turf. Granted,

endustry groups have tried to develop uniform data-collection principles. Reference services such as P-Trak and CDB Infotek made fine attempts at self-regulation late last year, but they still came up short – their frameworks do not guarantee citizens the right to access information that is collected about them, nor do they provide consumers with a way to find out how it is being used. Likewise, the Direct Marketing Association developed an admirable set of data protection practices, but their guidelines lack a reliable enforcement mechanism, a specific recourse for people who feel that information has been collected or used without their consent, and a flat-out prohibition on the collection of data about young children. So what

odone? If the situation doesn't improve, Congress could direct the FTC to develop sector-by-sector privacy guidelines. These voluntary guidelines would be developed in consultation with industry, but compliance would create a safe harbor for companies that want to avoid prosecution for deceptive or unfair data practices. There's nothing new about this approach – it has already been used to create the "green guides" that companies use to make environmental claims about their products. If need be, we can do the same thing for data collection practices. Don't ge

ng – I'm not saying we need to have a national dialog on privacy simply because of a few headlines or the EU's new rules. We need this dialog because massive amounts of data are being collected about all of us. Maybe that's OK. Maybe it's not. But one way or another, the time for doing nothing has long since passed. By M

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Bell Antic, several Baby Bells have asked the FCC to eliminate regulations restricting their ability to build high-speed data networks. Under current law, the Bells need FCC approval to construct data networks that extend beyond their voice-service areas. Until they get the go-ahead, the Bells are delaying plans to roll out 1.5-Mbps DSL services. If the FCC yields, the Bells could improve speed on the trickling Net. The bad news? The Bells could also use their ownership of the local loop to squeeze enemies and jeopardize competition. By Rebec

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two ddes, the venerable Data Encryption Standard (DES) is getting ready for retirement. Since September 1997, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been accepting proposals from around the world for a more secure replacement. DES – a 56-bit algorithm used in banks, governments, and commercial products – is showing its age. "It can be cracked in 30 days," says David Banisar of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. That's why most products now use "uncrackable" 128-bit encryption and why even the Federal Reserve has switched over to triple-DES – a more secure form of the tired original. The new algorith

le called the Advanced Encryption Standard, or AES. Though candidates will be unveiled at a conference in August, the winner won't be chosen until 2000, and AES won't become commonplace until early in the next millennium. Why the wait? "We want the process to be slow," says crypto consultant Bruce Schneier. "We'll be stuck with this new algorithm for the next 20 to 30 years." By Dave Wals

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ou talo, the Multilateral Agreement on Investment is either a breath of fresh air or a foul cloud that signals the decline of national sovereignty. Either way, in late spring the 29 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development hope to complete negotiations on the pact, which will establish uniform rules for international investment protection, investment liberalization, and dispute resolution. The goal is to ensure that participating nations give direct foreign investors the same market access and legal protections as domestic businesses. Since a draft text o

ereement was leaked last year, though, more than 600 organizations – including Oxfam, Ralph Nader's Public Citizen, Greenpeace International, and Friends of the Earth – have complained that the MAI will weaken national sovereignty. In most countries, foreign investment laws include local employment quotas, minimum wage requirements, or environmental controls. Critics say that enforcing these laws could violate the MAI. Worse, they claim, the MAI would let investors sue national governments if a country's laws hurt profits. The OECD insists the

ould not interfere with the freedom of governments to implement their own policies concerning labor and environmental standards, as long as these standards are not more stringent for foreign investors than for domestic investors." OECD representative Joseph de Pencier argues that the treaty's dispute-resolution mechanism includes many of the same features as some 1,600 multilateral investment agreements – including NAFTA. Even if the OECD mee

tpril treaty negotiating deadline (which seems unlikely at press time), the MAI will face a difficult ratification struggle in the US Congress, which is still smarting from last year's "fast track" debacle. Sovereignty seldom fades without a fight. Of the phrases Chine

iens said came closest to describing their basic attitude toward life, 56 percent chose "Work hard and get rich" while only 3 percent selected "Never think of yourself, give everything in service to society" (The Gallup Organization) … Baby boomrpend nearly one-third more time using home PCs than those between ages 18 and 34 (Media Metrix) … In Africasge of one Net user per 5,000 people (Sangonet) … Thirty-finoyers monitor workers by recording phone calls and voicemail, videotaping, searching computer files, or storing and reviewing email (American Management Association) … Nine percejournalists use email lists and newsgroups as their primary source for story ideas (Editor & Publisher)