JMW'S
Computers and Society (CAS)
Topics Page

Organizations and other general CAS links

A list of organizations, along with a few other pointers, that deal with multiple topics.

Organizations

EFF The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a non-profit civil liberties organization working in the public interest to protect privacy, free expression, and access to online resources and information. Check out their Online Newsletter archive.
Open Rights Group Modeled on the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in the United States, this organization was launched in the United Kingdom to protect the rights of users of digital resources. According to the Web site of the Open Rights Group, the group will work to "vigorously defend our digital civil liberties, ensuring that the our hard-won freedoms are not taken away simply because they've moved to the digital world."

Pew Internet and American Life Project Interesting project that considers how the Internet is changing us, and why. It focuses on six areas: impact on family; communities; health care; school and education; political and civic life; and the workplace.

DigitalCenter.org The Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School has been tracking a representative sample of the American population for over five years watching as people move on-line and then move from modems to broadband. Just put out a five-year report late 2005.

CPSR The Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is a non-profit, public interest organization concerned with the effects of computers on society. Good, sometimes balanced material on a wide variety of isues. And they have an email address.

CDT The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit, public interest organization based in Washington DC. The Center's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance constitutional civil liberties and democratic values in new computer and communications technologies.

VTW Voters Telecomm Watch is a volunteer organization, concentrating on legislation as it relates to *telecommunications* and civil liberties. We do our best to alert the public at crucial times during the life of legislation, such that you, the citizen, can act appropriately without having to be a full-time activist.

ACLU The American Civil Liberties Union.

ALA.The American Library Association

The Well. A network of online communities.

NetAction. Organization founded in 1996 to educate the public, policy makers, and the media about technology-based social and political issues, and to promote access to and use of info technology as a tool for community organizing, outreach, and advocacy.

Other Helpful CAS Resources

WIRED's Index. Includes lots of historical information about privacy, cryptography, the CDA, Wiretap bill, and dispatches from Brock N. Meeks.

The Thomas server. Legislative information available on the Internet...in the spirit of Thomas Jefferson.

EFF Action Alerts: What's HOT! The name says it all. Check here for current events dealing with cyberspace issues.

Law Databases Search Engines

Social Issues of Computing, a set of links dealing with social issues of computing (St. Olaf College).

"Risks" archives of moderated discussion regarding risks to the public of using computers and related systems. From the tightly moderated Usenet newsgroup comp.risks. Excellent source for reliability issues; good source for computer security and crime, with occasional attention to workplace and other social issues.

OYEZ, OYEZ ON THE WEB. A Northwestern University professor has developed a Web site that features oral arguments made before the Supreme Court, accessible with a Web browser and RealAudio software. Fifty hours of arguments from 60 cases are available, including such cases as the United States v. Nixon, which denied a sitting president the power to withhold audiotapes from investigators. Jerry Goldman, the site's creator, hopes one day to expand the offerings to include recordings from 500 cases: "Someday, this is going to be the compete Supreme Court reference."

Net News

Computer-Mediated Communication magazine. Interesting stuff.

HotWired, Wired magazine's online presence. You have to give them your name and email to get on. It's free; they pay for it by corporate sponsorships. Back issues of Wired, and their privacy archive. A good, if distinctly opinionated, source.

C/net Central. TONS of everything about cyberspace, from product reviews to social issues. A great resource for anyone.

EduPage. A summary of the latest technology news with a reference to each news source. Published by Educause.

NUA.ie . Another Internet site that provides worldwide Net statistics and trends.

Computer Underground Digest. A weekly digest/newsletter/journal of debates, news, research, and discussion of legal, social, and other issues related to computer culture.

History

History of the Net and Web. From the Electronic Software Publishers Corp.
Brief History of the Internet. From the Internet Society.
Hobbes' Internet Timeline. An authoritative Internet history site.

How Computers Work

Computing Concepts. From Willamette University.

The History of Computing Project.

Virtual Communities & Cyberculture

NTIA home page. National Telecommunications & Information Administration.
Turkle's "Life on the Screen." A brief overview of her book. About people and how computers are causing us to reevaluate our identities in the age of the Internet.
Howard Rheingold's home page.. A famous Netizen. Pointers to his Writings page, to his book, _The Virtual Community_, and more.
Virtual Communities--a number of other Rheingold articles posted here.
John December's Information Sources page for Computer-Mediated Communication. A huge resource for net users. Pointers to all sorts of offbeat information sources on various aspects of Internet life, from technology to Internet psychology.
Being Digital, by Nicholas Negroponte. Some interesting ideas about life in the digital age.
Blacklist of Internet Advertisers. This site is intended to curb inappropriate advertising on usenet newsgroups and via junk e-mail. It's a listing of spammers and what their crimes were...Canter (greencard lawyer) is top of the list. One of their suggestion is to mail these advertisers offering to charge $500 proofreading fee for every message they send, when you get an e-junk message, you send them an invoice and then take it to small claims court.
How to Get Rid of Spam. A page on how spam and internet advertising work.
MultiUser Dimensions at LUDD. A brief explanation of Multi User Dimensions (MUD) with links to many MUD sites.
EarthCam's 25 most interesting webcams from around the world. Check this one out.
WebCamCentral. The virtual voyeur's WebCam hub of choice
LambdaMOO. Telnet to the original MOO! (server Up & Down - 10/19/04)

Internet Addiction

The Center for OnLine Addiction. (Dr. Kimberly S. Young, founder) The World's First Consultation Firm and Virtual Clinic for Cyber-Related Issues.

Electronic Democracy

Freenets. A lengthy list of links to Community Freenets from all over the world. Beware--Ssome may no loner exist.

The National Information Infrastructure

IITF. The National Information Infrastructure Task Force.

Cyberspace Law, Governance, and Related Policy Issues

Multiple (or miscellaneous) topics covered here

U.S. Supreme Court Allows users to read the court's decisions the same day they are released. Offers the court's argument calendar, rules, schedules, etc.
Branscomb's "Emerging Law on the Electronic Frontier."
Minnesota Citizens Online's Links to Telecom Reform Resources.
Cyberlaw Encyclopedia. Information and opinions on a variety of cyberlaw issues.
CyberLaw. An online journal covering legal issues of computer technology.
Findlaw's Cyberlaw Resources. Many links to a variety of cyberlaw subjects/issues.

Legislation and Pending Legislation

EPIC's Bill Track.

Universal Access

The Society for Electronic Access. Promotes civil liberties and access in cyberspace

Censorship, Free Speech, Liability

Electronic Privacy Information Center. Numerous links dealing with Internet filtering and censorware.

The Communications Decency Act

CDT's Communications Decency Act Issues Page.
Voters Telecommunications Watch Lots here about the CDA.
Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition fight the CDA
EPIC: Internet Censorship
The Blue Ribbon Campaign for Online Free Speech
ACLU Denounces Passage of Telecom Bill
ACLU: Actual text of the complaint filed against CDA

Cyberporn: The Rimm Study and Expose

MIT: He says/she says commentaries on the Rimm study
Cybernothing Lots about the Rimm study, with many links

Miscellaneous

EPIC's pages on the ACLU v. Reno Decision, June 26, 1997. At issue in this case is the constitutionality of two statutory provisions enacted to protect minors from "indecent" and "patently offensive" communications on the Internet.
U.S. v. Thomas and Thomas: This is the case of the convincted bulletin board operator from Milpitas, California, which you read about and which we discussed in class.
SafeSurf, a safe Web without censorship.
Global Internet Liberty Campaign. This organization seeks to maintain the freedom of on-line communication.

Intellectual Property Rights

Public Knowledge.org Public Knowledge is a group of lawyers, technologists, lobbyists, academics, volunteers and activists dedicated to fortifying and defending a vibrant information commons.

EFF "Intellectual Property Online: Patent, Trademark, Copyright" Archive
The "Link Controversy" Page. Intended to provide an overview of the legal problems of using hyperlinks, inline images and frames in the WWW.
Open Rights Group Modeled on the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in the United States, this organization was launched in the United Kingdom to protect the rights of users of digital resources. According to the Web site of the Open Rights Group, the group will work to "vigorously defend our digital civil liberties, ensuring that the our hard-won freedoms are not taken away simply because they've moved to the digital world."
The U.S. Copyright Office. General information, as well as info on publications, legislation, announcements, and links.
Bitlaw. A detailed look at copyright law in the U.S.
Cnn etc. v Total News settlement.
The League for Programming Freedom. Argues that the whole concept of software patents is wrong.
Breaking News from PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE

Privacy

General resources

Privacy.org. EPIC and Privacy International have launched Privacy.org, the site for news, information, and action. The website contains brief summaries and links to news items appearing both in the domestic and the international press. Its database of news stories is searchable by text, and it extends back two years. Privacy.org also features the EPIC-Digest, a weekly e-mail digest of news, information, and action items.
For background on other privacy laws and developments around the WORLD, see Privacy & Human Rights 2000.
EPIC: Electronic Privacy Information Center.
The PRIVACY Forum is a moderated digest for the discussion and analysis of issues relating to the general topic of privacy (both personal and collective) in the "information age" of the 1990's and beyond.
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

Patient Privacy Rights
HotWired and Wired Privacy Archive Fight for Your Right to Electronic Privacy!
EFF - The Electronic Frontier Foundation Mostly legal and political stuff dealing with privacy and free access to the net. Good archives.
ACLU Freedom Network
FCC's Consumer Privacy Pages. Includes lots of useful info about consumer privacy: addresses, phone numbers, and links to all three national credit bureaus, to the Direct Marketing Association, and lots more.
Internet Privacy Coalition. The mission of this site is to promote privacy and security on the Internet through widespread public availability of strong encryption and the relaxation of export controls on cryptography.
Protect Your Privacy "A Weblog dedicated to bringing you information on the new Internet technologies and their impact on personal privacy on the Web."
DMA Consumer Privacy Pages:
Main Page. The DMA's Guide to Online Basics, Behavior and Privacy.
Privacy policy Generation Tool. This site will help you create your own Company's Online Privacy Policy. Simply answer several questions and submit a form - they send you a Web page to post to your site.

Cryptography

Encryption Policy Resource Page.
Center for Democracy & Technology's crypto page.
EPIC's Cryptography policy.
EFF's Privacy-Crypto-Key Escrow Archive.
MIT distribution site for PGP
Cryptography, PGP, and Your Privacy: Fran Litterio's page on privacy and cryptography issues, with special attention to PGP.
Information about *International* PGP versions.
PGP Web Resources. A page full of links on PGP.
EFF's Cryptography Page. This site is dedicated to protecting individual privacy by stopping anti-encryption actions of legislatures and executive agencies of many countries.
VTW's Cryptography Page. The homepage of the citizen-based Internet civil liberties group Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW). The site is no longer updated, but is maintained as an information archive.

Wiretapping

EPIC's Wiretap legislation files. Current hot topics and issues relating to wiretapping.
EFF's Surveillance Page. A wide variety of articles on surveillance and wiretapping.

Email/Net Privacy

E-Mail Privacy FAQ, from the author of the "Computer Privacy Handbook ('The Scariest Computer Book of the Year')."

Email hoaxes:
CIAC Website. Provides an extensive, comprehensive resource for diverse computer security issues. You can also visit the CIAC Internet Virus Hoaxes Page.
Symantec Virus Hoaxes Page. This is the comprehensive list of viruses that DO NOT EXIST, despite rumor of their creation and distribution.
Computer Virus Myths. Learn about the myths, the hoaxes, the urban legends, and the implications. You can also see a list of virus hoaxes from A to Z.

Cookies

Cookie Central. Everything you ever wanted to know about Internet cookies. Includes a great FAQ, cookie related articles, and more.
EPIC Cookies Page. A wide variety of info and resources on cookies.

Digital cash and cashless society

An E-cash Resources Page. Lots of links and an e-cash FAQ.

Medical privacy

Medical Record Privacy
CDT's Medical Privacy Page
Archive of News postings, MED-PRIVACY; The "Privacy Movement".

Other

KlaasKids KLAAS Foundation for Children
Clickshare, a complete publishing system to track movements and settle charges for digital transactions--as users jump among multiple unrelated sites on the Web....

Crime and Security

EPIC's Cryptography Policy
Forum On Risks To The Public In Computers And Related Systems. Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator. The RISKS Forum is a moderated digest. Its USENET equivalent is comp.risks.
Definitions (cracker, hacker)
Court case, State of Oregon v. Randal Schwartz.

COMPUTERS AND WARFARE

Terrorism Research Center. An extensive collection of research, reference documents and links, covering the following subjects: Information Assurance, Information Warfare, Information Terrorism, Information Security, and Critical Infrastructure Protection.
IASIW. Institute for the Advanced Study of Information Warfare, a virtual nongovernmental organization formed to facilitate an understanding of information warfare with reference to both military and civilian life.
InfoWar.com. The Internet Global Clearinghouse for Information Warfare.

Workplace

Ethics and Whistleblowing

The Project on Government Oversight. This group has worked to investigate, expose, and remedy abuses of power, mismanagement, and subservience to special interests by the federal government.
ACM. Code of Ethics.
IEEE. Software Engineering Code of Ethics.
IEEE. Guidelines for Engineers Dissenting on Ethical Grounds.
The Therac-25 Accidents.

Ergonomics: RSI, EMFs, etc.

CTDNews Online, from the Center for Workplace Health.
The RSI Network Electronic Newsletter.
Computer-Related Repetitive Strain Injury Primer Web Page, from Paul Marxhausen at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Occupational Over Use Articles, from Dept. of Labour, New Zealand.

Ergonomics

Occupational Overuse Syndrome Resources.

Telecommuting and the virtual office

Privacy and the workplace (see also Privacy)

Net surfers beware: the boss can see you. A discussion of employers attempts to regulate employee's Internet surfing.

Gender and the Sciences

WomensNet. WomensNet is a non-profit computer network for women, activists, and organizations using computer networks for information sharing and increasing women's rights.
Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.
Cybergrrl Webstation. An interesting site created by a self-proclaimed Web junkie. ;-)

Technology and Education

Education resources from Yahoo. A good place to surf from.
Educause, Transforming Education through Information Technology.
Education Technology page from the World Wide Web Virtual Library. Lots of pointers.
Learner Online, the Annenberg/CPB Project's Web Site for Learners and Educators.

Examples of what can be done:

The Franklin Institute Science Museum; they have the science section from The Philadelphia Inquirer, a question-and-answer forum targetted to K-8 students, a school unit on wind energy, and lots of other interesting stuff for teachers, students, and curious people in general.
The Nine Planets: information about the solar system designed for a non-technical audience.
Peterson's Internet Education Center (they of the Guides). Application forms and various information on educational instituions at all levels.
San Luis Valley: Can the Internet Help Improve Rural Economies?
Using Computers in Low-Income Schools, by Howard Rheingold.

Artificial Intelligence/Life

ALife. All things a(rtificial)life.
Can Machines Think? from Time Magazine, 25 March 1996 (cover story).

Technology Critics

The Unabomber's Manifesto

Human Responsibility and the Future

Some thought-provoking stuff dealing with multiple topics such as

"The Machine's Hidden Agenda"

"The Internet as Terminator"

"Liberation and Oppression on the Net"

and more....

Netfuture. A reader-supported newsletter that looks *beyond* the generally recognized risks. By Steve Talbott.
Confronting Technology; associated with NetFuture: critically examining the relationship between humans and computer technology. (Includes a bibliography of books related to this topic.)
Daily Meditations for the Computer-Entranced
The Loka Institute --research and advocacy organization concerned with social, political, and environmental repercussions of science and technology.
Howard Rheingold presents: "Brainstorms.. An experiment in community futurism.
Tools for Thought: The People and Ideas of the Next Computer Revolution, by Howard Rheingold.

Last content review: Spring 2007

JMW'S Computers and Society (CAS) Topics Page