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COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
ANNUAL MEETING
October 8 - 9, 1994
University of California, San Diego
Price Center
La Jolla, California, USA
Organizing for Access:
A National Forum on
Computer Networking, Community Action, and Democracy
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In the few short years since the first proposals for a National
Information Infrastructure (NII), a broad social movement has arisen
to put that vision into action in communities across the country.
A remarkable range of people -- educators, librarians, community
activists, computer people, government agencies, advocates for people
with disabilities, and others -- have been using computer networks to
deliver services and to organize themselves behind an emerging agenda
for computing and networking in the public interest. CPSR is convening
this meeting for all people interested in the place of computer
technology in society, with the goal of bringing together a wide range
of voices to discuss the ways in which the NII might serve the needs
of society and to empower one another to pursue shared goals in the
new technological world. Our meeting this year will place particular
emphasis on providing would-be activists with the skills and connections
they need to put the vision of democratic technology into practice.
Saturday, October 8th
8:00 - 9:00 Registration/Coffee
9:00 - 9:15 Welcome to the CPSR Annual Meeting
Phil Agre
9:15 - 10:15 Keynote address
Francois Bar
Department of Communication, UCSD
"Staking Claims to the Network"
This is a critical time for grass-roots involvement in shaping
America's communications networks. National policy-making has
largely deferred issues of encouraging broad access, preventing
network fragmentation, and guaranteeing basic individual rights
and freedoms. Francois Bar argues that broad-based access and
involvement today are critical -- not as charity, but because
the network's future can only be imagined and discovered through
broad-based and sustained experimentation by end-users.
10:15 - 10:45 Break
10:45 - 12:30 Panel Discussion -- Moderated by Steve Miller
"The Meanings of Access"
The theme of "access" has united numerous groups interested in
ensuring equity in the NII. But "access" is a complex concept with
many equally important facets. This panel brings together leading
voices for community access to technology to compare and contrast
the various technical, social, and institutional meanings of access.
Panelists:
Karen Coyle, University of California Library Automation and CPSR-Berkeley
Lee Felsenstein, Interval Research and Berkeley Community Memory
Deborah Kaplan, World Institute on Disability
Larry Shaw, The Exploratorium
Armando Valdez, LatinoNet
12:30 - 2:00 Lunch Break
2:00 - 3:30 Panel Discussion -- Moderated by Kathleen Kells
"Privacy and Intellectual Freedom"
Privacy and intellectual freedom are crucial information rights
shared by all people. Protecting these rights is a full-time job,
one that brings the members of several professions into day-to-day
contact with the the diverse and complicated circumstances in which
real people need to exercise them. This panel features a discussion
among three national leaders in the defense of these rights.
Panelists:
Beth Givens, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, University of San Diego
Judith Krug, Office for Intellectual Freedom, American Library Association
Gary Richwald, Department of Health Services, County of Los Angeles
3:30 - 4:00 Break
4:00 - 5:45 Panel Discussion -- Moderated by Rik Belew
"Community Networking in San Diego"
Our host community of San Diego makes a fine "case study" for all of
our meeting's topics. In this panel, five active community members
describe the remarkable range of networking projects going on around
San Diego, placing them in the context of the region's economic and
institutional evolution.
Panelists:
Nell Allen, Department of Social Services, County of San Diego
Marcia Boruta, San Diego Economic Conversion Council
Sandra Hall, Community Activist
Al Rogers, Global SchoolNet Foundation
Mike Stark, San Diego Computer Society
5:45 - 6:00 Closing Remarks -- Judi Clark
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7:00 - 7:30 No Host Bar at Banquet Site
7:30 - 10:30 CPSR Banquet - Fundraiser - UCSD Faculty Club
(Vegetarian food will be available)
* Presentation of the 1993 Norbert Wiener Award
* Banquet Address -- Patricia Glass Schuman, Neal-Schuman Publishers
"Safeguarding the Right to Know"
Patricia Glass Schuman, librarian, businesswoman and activist
for free speech, was 1991-92 president of the American Library
Association (ALA). As ALA President, Schuman launched a series
of "radio rallies" to focus public attention on threats to the
public's Right to Know. Hear her call for information activism
that involves the entire community in strengthening democracy
by defending and expanding everyone's access to information.
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Sunday, October 9th
8:30 - 9:00 Coffee
9:00 - 10:00 Featured speaker
Sonia Jarvis
National Coalition on Black Voter Participation
"The Public-Interest Aspects of the Information Superhighway"
Legislators in Washington are now making policies that will affect
everyone's ability to join in the social and political activities
that make up a democracy. How can we make sure that those who
are not technologically literate will have an opportunity to
participate? Sonia Jarvis will initiate a dialog on strategies
for ensuring that the public interest is given proper consideration.
10:00 - 10:15 Short Break
10:15 - 12:15 Workshops
Now is the time for everyone to become an activist for democratic
uses of information technology. No matter what expertise you have
to offer, or what contribution you'd like to make -- whether it's
running a bulletin board, starting an on-line discussion group for
people with a shared interest, organizing a computer network to
serve your community's needs, helping to protect everyone's privacy
in a world of computer databases, getting new people into the
electronic world, joining the larger public-interest movement, or
drawing on the resources of the net to get people the information
they need to make informed choices in a democracy -- the necessary
skills, tools, and connections are readily available. In these
seven workshops, national experts on technology activism will tell
you how to get started with your own good deeds on Monday morning.
More detailed descriptions of each workshop will be available
sometime in September.
Building Community Networks: Promise and Pitfalls
Aki Namioka and Doug Schuler, Seattle Community Network
Legal Issues for BBS Operators
Mike Godwin, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Network-Based Organizing
Dave Banisar, Electronic Privacy Information Center
Steve Miller, Administration and Finance, State of Massachusetts
Helping People and Organizations Get Started With Networking
Eric Theise, Liberty Hill Cyberwerks
Art McGee, Institute for Global Communications
Investigative Reporting on the Internet
Marsha Woodbury, University of Illinois
Paul Lester, California State University, Fullerton
Privacy Activism
Christine Harbs, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, University of San Diego
Dave Redell, CPSR Privacy and Civil Liberties Working Group
Public Interest Activism and the NII Policy Process
Bill Drake, Department of Communication, UC San Diego
12:15 - 1:30 Lunch Break
1:30 - 4:30 CPSR Organizational Discussion
in parallel with informal discussion groups
4:30 - 5:00 Closing Remarks -- Eric Roberts
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ABOUT CPSR
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is a national,
non-partisan, public-interest organization dedicated to understanding
and directing the impact of computers on society. Decisions regarding
the use of this technology have far-reaching consequences that
necessarily reflect the basic values and priorities of the people who
govern their use.
Founded in 1981, CPSR has 1800 members from all over the United States
and 21 chapters. Each of our members is an important participant in
the dialogue that is helping to shape the future use of computers in the
United States. Our National Advisory Board includes one Nobel laureate
and three winners of the Turing Award, the highest honor in computer
science. CPSR published the influential report "Serving the Community"
on policy issues in the National Information Infrastructure, and is
an active participant in the Telecommunications Policy Roundtable in
Washington.
We believe that as the influence of computers continues to permeate
every aspect of our society, it is important that professionals become
active participants in formulating the policy that governs computer
use and access. CPSR welcomes any and all who share our convictions,
whether they work as computer professionals or not.
For more information, look at the CPSR gopher server, which is located
at gopher.cpsr.org, as well as the new CPSR WorldWide Web pages, whose
URL is http://www.cpsr.org/home. Coming soon in these pages: much more
information about the Annual Meeting.
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Registration Form
Please pre-register as soon as possible to ensure a space at this
exciting meeting. Registrations at the door will be accepted as
space allows. Please send in a separate registration form for each
individual attending the meeting. And please note that the Saturday
night banquet is not included in the price of the meeting.
Name _________________________________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________________________
City _______________________________ State _____________ Zip _________
Telephone __________________________ E-mail_____________________________
CPSR member $55 _______
Postmarked after September 20th $65 _______
Non member $75 _______
Postmarked after September 20th $85 _______
New CPSR membership & registration $95 _______
Postmarked after September 20th $105 _______
Low income $25 _______
Postmarked after September 20th $35 _______
Banquet tickets $40 X ___ = _______
Postmarked after September 20th $45 X ___ = _______
Additional donation to further CPSR's work _______
Total enclosed _______
For more information contact CPSR at (415) 322-3778 or [c p sr] at [cpsr.org.]
Send the completed registration form with your check to: CPSR, PO Box
717, Palo Alto, CA 94302.
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