Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!hplabs!hplabsz!taylor
From: sla@ihlpm.ATT.COM (Schwartzman)
Newsgroups: comp.society
Subject: Re: Any info on "Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility"?
Message-ID: <1448@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM>
Date: 20 Jan 88 07:45:19 GMT
Sender: taylor@hplabsz.HPL.HP.COM
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories - Naperville, Illinois
Lines: 20
Approved: taylor@hplabs

I attended the annual CPSR meeting in October, 1987, and was quite
impressed by the presentations there.

Three individual speakers' topics:

1.  Electronic information and civil liberties / privacy issues,

2.  A suit against [then] secretary of defense weinberger challenging
    the U.S. launch-on-warning capability.

3.  Software safety - catching what can easily fall through the cracks
    when control of complex processing or machinery is computerized.

There was a panel discussion on the ethical questions computer
professionals may face.

There were also organization status reports and some discussions about 
the direction of the organization, with participation by members of 
diverse political backgrounds and persuasions.  While this diversity 
doesn't simplify the organizational workings, I think it enriches it.