only if you post more!
i post on list since i think this is worth acting on.
Gene Spafford has some decent letters to his congresscritters: Your own mileage will vary http://www.cerias.purdue.edu/homes/spaf/action.html
If you think there is some value in this, feel free to pass it along to friends.
ALERT: Hackers Could Get Life in Prison, No Parole, Under "Anti-Terrorism" Bill
Act Today and Ask Your Legislators to Remove Dangerous Provisions
Electronic Frontier Foundation ACTION ALERT (Issued: Wednesday, September 27, 2001 / Deadline: Friday, October 7, 2001, unless extended)
Introduction:
San Francisco, California - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
today condemned portions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) currently
under consideration in Congress which would treat all computer
trespass as terrorism (in addition to other provisions we oppose, such
as vast expansion of surveillance authority).
"Treating low-level computer crimes as terrorist acts is not an
appropriate response to recent events," said EFF Executive Director
Shari Steele. "A relatively harmless online prankster should not face
a potential life sentence in prison."
The ATA includes provisions that dramatically increase the penalties
for acts that have no apparent relationship to terrorism. For
instance, the bill would add low-level computer intrusion, already a
crime under other laws, to the list of "federal terrorism offenses,"
creating penalties of up to life imprisonment, adding broad
pre-conviction asset seizure powers and serious criminal threats to
those who "materially assist" or "harbor" individuals suspected of
causing minimal damage to networked computers.
Attorney General John Ashcroft asked Congress last week to pass the
ATA, formerly known as the Mobilization Against Terrorism Act (MATA),
with less than one week of consideration.
EFF believes the ATA would radically tip the United States system of
checks and balances, giving the government unprecedented authority to
surveil American citizens with little judicial or other oversight.
What YOU Can Do Now:
* Contact your own legislators about the ATA/MATA and related bills
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Call them, and fax and/or e-mail the EFF
letter below (or your own) today. Postal mail will be too slow on
this issue. Feel free to use this letter verbatim, or modify it as
you wish. Let them know that you do not believe liberty must be
sacrificed for security. Please be polite and concise, but firm.
For information on how to contact your legislators and other
government officials, see EFF's "Contacting Congress and Other
Policy makers" guide at:
http://www.eff.org/congress.html
and see also the links below.
* Join EFF! For membership information see: