Scope

Victor · 24-03-2003 12:55am #1

I was thinking about what scope we should have. Some are obvious, but others less so and may be outside what the core groups wants. Comments?

Core:
Freedom of Information
Data Retention
Data Protection
Cryptography
Computer competence in government and law enforcement

Non-core:
Copyright
Equality issues

dahamsta · 24-03-2003 12:04pm

Freedom of Information

There was quite a lot of discussion about this at the meeting, and it appeared that everyone thought it should be a de facto core issue of ours, but I'm not so sure. Yes, it's a civil liberty issue, but I'm not 100% certain where we come into it, apart from the fact that we'd want to /use/ FOI. But that's not core in my view.

Data Retention
Data Protection

Obviously.

Cryptography

There's keys and subpoenas, as with the RIPA in the UK, but what else? Should we be a promotional agency?

Computer competence in government and law enforcement

Yip, although again I'm not sure this is a core issue. More of an issue created by core issues.

Copyright

I think this should be a core issue. Also, I know that there is an argument that "intellectual property" is a misnomer that should have been murdered at birth, but I think it's acceptable for us to group Copyright, Patents and Trademarks under this title; as long as we promote the fact that they're all very different issues.

Equality issues

Eh? You mean more women should get into technology, style of fing?

adam

Victor · 24-03-2003 10:01pm

Originally posted by dahamsta
---- Freedom of Information---- There was quite a lot of discussion about this at the meeting, and it appeared that everyone thought it should be a de facto core issue of ours, but I'm not so sure. Yes, it's a civil liberty issue, but I'm not 100% certain where we come into it, apart from the fact that we'd want to /use/ FOI. But that's not core in my view.

Actually I think it is quite important, as it is the main counterpiece to privacy, one without the other doesn't improve things.

Originally posted by dahamsta
----Computer competence in government and law enforcement ---- Yip, although again I'm not sure this is a core issue. More of an issue created by core issues.

Yes thsi is more a means than an end. But a very important means.

Originally posted by dahamsta
---- Equality issues ---- Eh? You mean more women should get into technology, style of fing?

Equality is probably the Civil Liberties issue and encompasses much more than womens rights. This could be done as a Civil Liberties + technology or Civil Liberties by itself.

yellum · 24-03-2003 11:52pm

Originally posted by Victor

Equality is probably the Civil Liberties issue and encompasses much more than womens rights. This could be done as a Civil Liberties + technology or Civil Liberties by itself.

Seems to be wide for a Privacy/Civil Liberties group. If we are to be somewhat modeled on EFF it would not fit really.

Are there not loads of groups out there on Civil Liberties ?

www.equality.ie has the main 8 issues and there are groups out there for all 8 areas I thought.

dahamsta · 25-03-2003 12:01am

FoI is of course an important issue, but it's not really an /electronic freedom/ issue in my view, it's more of a general civil liberties issue. So while I do think it's an issue we would comment on, I think hardline campaigning should be left to other, more representative groups. Now if the Government were proposing that they wouldn't return emails to FoI requests, then that would be an electronic freedom issue, and it would become a core issue for us. The same goes for other topics, i.e. our focus should be electronic freedoms.

adam

Victor · 25-03-2003 12:11am

Then do we drop civil liberties from the title and just go for "Electronic Rights"?

dahamsta · 25-03-2003 9:51am

You mean the forum title? Well, that was always only a working title, and I guess with the progress we're making, we might as well leave it the way it is.

adam