--------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC DIGEST AT PRIVACY.ORG EPIC-DIGEST is a weekly update of news, information, and action items posted on privacy.org. October 16-November 6, 2001 TOC------------------------------------------------------------ NEWS McNealy, Ellison, Dershowitz Call for National ID Anthrax Scare Changes Direct Marketing Tactics Forrester: Murisı Privacy Plan Creates Confusion Ashcroft Directs Agencies to Restrict FOIA Releases Oakland Airport to Use Face Recognition Baker: FBI Will Expand Net Surveillance FINCEN: ID Theft Cases Double Anti Terrorism Legislation Signed Privacy, Consumer Groups Urge FTC to Act on XP Location Based Services Raise Privacy Issues Pentagon Makes Wish List of Surveillance Technology USA PATRIOT Act Contains ID Card Proposal Microsoft's Passport System Deeply Flawed NEWS----------------------------------------------------------- McNealy, Ellison, Dershowitz Call for National ID Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems; Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle; and Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law Professor; have advocated the adoption of mandatory national ID for all Americans. McNealy and Ellison have economic interests in such systems. Dershowitz argues that the loss of anonymity caused by national ID systems could be balanced by corresponding gains in security. Well-meaning Congress putting liberties at risk, San Jose Mercury News, October 13, 2001. http://www0.mercurycenter.com/premium/business/docs/gillmor13.htm Why Fear National ID Cards?, New York Times, October 13, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/13/opinion/13DERS.html ID Cards Are de Rigueur Worldwide, Wired, September 25, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47073,00.html Privacy International National ID Page. http://www.privacy.org/issues/idcard/ The Oracle of National ID Cards, Wired, October 27, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47788,00.html Larry Cards, a nod to Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison's unabashed support for national ID cards, Wired, October 27, 2001. http://www.wired.com/news/photo/0,1860,47788,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Anthrax Scare Changes Direct Marketing Tactics Direct marketers, in light of recent anthrax envelope attacks, are changing policies in sending solicitations through the mail. The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) has recommended that marketers include return addresses on mail solicitations. The DMA has also recommended that marketers first send e-mail or make a phone call to recipients of mail solicitations. Anthrax Scare Forces Postal Changes, Direct Marketers Adopt New Tactics on Mailings to Avoid Losing Business, Washington Post, October 17, 2001. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A5129-2001Oct16? --------------------------------------------------------------- Forrester: Murisı Privacy Plan Creates Confusion Forrester Research argues in a new report that Federal Trade Commission Chair Timothy Murisı approach to privacy will exacerbate privacy problems. Muris recently changed the agencyıs approach to privacy, advocating that Congress should not pass new laws to address consumer privacy protection. Forrester argues that Murisı approach lacks an overarching framework for enforcement that will result in ill-defined standards for appropriate business behavior. Report: U.S. Privacy Plan Bad for Business, CRM Daily, October 16, 2001. http://www.crmdaily.com/perl/story/14183.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Ashcroft Directs Agencies to Restrict FOIA Releases Attorney General John Ashcroft has directed agencies to evaluate Freedom of Information requests with heightened sensitivity to national security and law enforcement concerns. Ashcroft also pledged support to agencies that withhold information in order to protect institutional, commercial, and personal privacy interests. Since the September terrorist attacks, a number of agencies have been restricting access to government records. Most notably, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has removed all content from its web site. Ashcroft FOIA Memorandum, October 12, 2001. http://www.usdoj.gov/oip/foiapost/2001foiapost19.htm Ashcroft Urges Caution With FOIA Requests, Washington Post (AP), October 17, 2001. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5308-2001Oct16.html Ashcroft Tells Agencies to Resist FOIA Releases, Secrecy News, October 17, 2001. http://www.fas.org/sgp/news/secrecy/2001/10/101701.html The Post-September 11 Environment: Access to Government Information, OMBWatch Report. http://www.ombwatch.org/info/2001/access.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Oakland Airport to Use Face Recognition Oakland International Airport has announced that face recognition systems will be deployed to scan passengers as they board planes. Oakland to be first U.S. airport to use face-recognition ID system, Mercury News, October 17, 2001. http://www.siliconvalley.com/docs/hottopics/attack/image101801.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- Baker: FBI Will Expand Net Surveillance According to Stewart Baker, the former general counsel to the National Security Agency, the FBI has developed a new surveillance architecture that can capture all Internet traffic. Beyond Carnivore: FBI Eyes Packet Taps, Interactive Week, October 18, 2001. http://www.interactiveweek.com/article/0,3658,s%253D605%2526a%253D16678,00.asp --------------------------------------------------------------- FINCEN: ID Theft Cases Double The U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) reports that from January to April of 2001, 332 reports of identity theft were reported. There were 637 cases for the entire year of 2000 and 267 in 1999. SAR Activity Review (PDF 1.1 MB), FINCEN, October 22, 2001. http://www.ustreas.gov/fincen/sarreviewissue3.pdf Identity theft more than doubling, ZDNet (Reuters), October 22, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2819435,00.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Anti Terrorism Legislation Signed President Bush has signed H.R. 3162, the USA PATRIOT Act. The Act expands the power of law enforcement to monitor communications. HR 3162, the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, THOMAS Database. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03162: Bush Signs Sweeping Surveillance Bill Into Law, Newsbytes, October 26, 2001. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171556.html Bush Signs Anti Terrorism Bill, Tech Law Journal Daily Report, October 29, 2001. http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2001/10/29.asp Field Guidance on New Authorities: Enacted in the 2001 Anti Terrorism Legislation (PDF), Department of Justice. http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/DOJ_guidance.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy, Consumer Groups Urge FTC to Act on XP EPIC and a coalition of consumer and privacy groups have urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to take action to protect consumers from Microsoft Windows XP and Passport. The groups sent a letter to the FTC requesting immediate agency action and recommended to consumers that they should not sign up for Passport. EPIC Letter to FTC Chair Timothy Muris, EPIC Web Page, October 23, 2001. http://www.epic.org/privacy/consumer/microsoft/ftcletter10.23.01.html EPIC Passport Page. http://www.epic.org/privacy/consumer/microsoft/ Privacy groups slam Windows XP, ZDNet (Reuters), October 23, 2001. http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,5098685,00.html Commentary: The Threat Of Microsoftıs .Net, by Whitfield Diffie and Susan Landau. http://www.kingpublishing.com/fc/new_technology/commentary.htm Big Brother Award nomination for WPA, Passport pains MS, The Register, October 25, 2001. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/22471.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Location Based Services Raise Privacy Issues The advent of devices that report user location, such as cell phones that track user location via GPS, affords commercial profilers and the government more opportunities to monitor behavior. In addition to cell phones, other devices, such as the automatic toll-paying system "EZPass," can track driversı location. Cell Phones Set to Track Call Locales, Los Angeles Times, October 18, 2001. http://www.latimes.com/technology/la-000082963oct18.story It's the Cars, Not the Tires, That Squeal, New York Times, October 25, 2001 (registration required). http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/25/technology/circuits/25CARR.html --------------------------------------------------------------- Pentagon Makes Wish List of Surveillance Technology Pentagon officials released a list of ideas for new technologies of surveillance. The list is intended to spark innovation and bids from private-sector developers of technology systems. The list includes systems that would track persons who purchase bomb-making material, polygraph machines for airline passengers, tracking devices for monitoring civilian and military targets, and software that can recognize persons who are speaking in Middle Eastern languages. Pentagon Makes Rush Order For Anti-Terror Technology, Washington Post, October 26, 2001. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53844-2001Oct25.html --------------------------------------------------------------- USA PATRIOT Act Contains ID Card Proposal A provision in the recently passed anti-terrorism legislation may create a scheme where all non-citizens would have to use an identification card to enter the country. The provision calls upon the Attorney General to create an "integrated entry and exit" system that could include biometric identifiers and improved identity documents. The USA PATRIOT Act, THOMAS Database. http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.3162: New law contains ID-card proposal, Washington Times, November 1, 2001. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20011031-576161.htm --------------------------------------------------------------- Microsoft's Passport System Deeply Flawed Marc Slemko, a software developer, developed a technique to steal a person's Microsoft Passport, credit card numbers -- and all, simply by getting the victim to open a Hotmail message. He cobbled together this technique in just half an hour. Slemko withheld publication of the flaws until Microsoft had an opportunity to correct it. The attack renews questions about the inherent security of Passport, which is being positioned by Microsoft as the lynch pin of its .NET e-commerce service initiative. Slemko argues that, "Passport's greatest marketing strength -- the single sign-on -- is also its chief technical weakness." Stealing MS Passport's Wallet , Wired News, November 2, 2001 http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,48105,00.html Risks of the Passport Single Signon Protocol, AT&T Labs - Research http://avirubin.com/passport.html EPIC's FTC Complaint Re: Microsoft .NET Initiative (pdf) http://www.epic.org/privacy/consumer/MS_complaint.pdf --------------------------------------------------------------- Privacy.org is a joint project of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (http://www.epic.org) and Privacy International (http://www.privacyinternational.org). For more information, e-mail Chris Hoofnagle at digest-editor@privacy.org. --------------------------------------------------------------- How to unsubscribe from EPIC-DIGEST: You can leave the EPIC-DIGEST by entering the subscription e-mail address at http://www.privacy.org/digest.php and selecting "unsubscribe." Or, you can send a blank e-mail message to EPIC-DIGEST@lists.epic.org from the subscribed address with the following text in the subject line: unsubscribe If you experience difficulty with subscription issues, send a message to digest-editor@privacy.org. --------------------------------------------------------------- EPIC-DIGEST Privacy Policy: http://www.privacy.org/privacy.php --------------------------------------------------------------- END EPIC-DIGEST