[ale] [Fwd: Proposed Legislation Significantly Affecting Computer Profession (40189)]

[Geoffrey]

The USENIX Board of Directors has decided to alert our membership that
bills pending before the U.S. Congress or in committee appear to have a
detrimental impact on computer professionals.

We are most concerned about aspects of two proposed bills, the
Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and the Security Systems Standards and
Certification Act (SSSCA), and how they interact with existing
legislation
such as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act.  The ATA redefines virtually all computer crime as
terrorism, enlarges the maximum penalty to life in prison without
parole,
allows broad pre-conviction seizures, and, furthermore, does this
retroactively, removing the existing statute of limitations.  The SSSCA
essentially mandates copyright protection in all digital consumer
devices
and makes disabling or avoidance of copyright mechanisms a felony
offense.

More information about these and related issues can be found at:
http://www.usenix.org/whatsnew/legislation.html

Similar legislation is being considered in other jurisdictions including
Canada and some states.

If you believe that provisions of these or similar acts are
inappropriate,
we strongly encourage you to contact your elected representatives as
soon
as possible and register your opinions.

				Sincerely,
			The USENIX Board of Directors
		    http://www.usenix.org/directory/board.html


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