From owner-eff-activists@eff.org Mon Jun 6 16:30:55 1994 Received: (from daemon@localhost) by eff.org (8.6.9/8.6.6) id PAA12057 for eff- activists-exploder; Mon, 6 Jun 1994 15:56:23 -0400 Date: Mon, 6 Jun 1994 15:54:29 -0400 Message-Id: <199406061954.PAA05632@clark.net> X-Sender: rothman@clark.net (Unverified) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" From: rothman@clark.net (David H. Rothman) Subject: Questions for Italian gov.--maybe in your own city X-Mailer: Precedence: list To: eff-activists@eff.org (eff-activists mailing list) Status: RO [May be distributed without restriction via the Internet and commercial services] Your Friendly Local Consolato: Fax Him About Italian BBS Raids Italian bureaucrats have taken a fond interest in community nets, or at least those of the activist variety. Gun-toting police have raided sysops in the middle of the night, with special attention paid to the BBS systems of left-wing and community groups. For the curious, I have phone and fax numbers of Italian officials in various cities in the U.S. and Canada--it's time to ask the Italian government a few Jeffersonian questions. This is a freedom-of-the-press issue as well as a cyberspace issue. You might suggest that your local newspaper follow through with questions of its own if the Italian government is obliging enough to have a Consolato in your city. The story is finally reaching The Mainstream; I noticed a reference last night in Time Magazine's section on America Online. So tell your local gatekeepers it's *okay*--the gate is open on this one :-). Scores of newspapers around the world are entering cyberspace, and, whether they realize it or not, the issues here could affect them one way or another. Note, too, that practices have a strange way of evolving into policy, and that American NII officials aren't exactly oblivious to events abroad. It is urgent that telcom policies not be drafted in ways that would encourage political harassment of left- or right-wing groups. Below are questions that occur to me, followed by the phone and fax numbers. Feel free to cut and fax to your friendly local Consolato. No, I don't expect that we'll get immediate, detailed answers, especially from local offices; but at least we can let the Italians know in a massive way that they're under scrutiny. True, Italy isn't the U.S. But there have been suspect raids here, and it's important to remind politicians everywhere that the 'Net is watching. What's more, the world is pretty interconnected. The University of Pisa, for example, is a prime provider of Veronica service via the mama Gopher in Minnesota, and if bullying is indeed taking place against the BBS systems, then major 'Net sites like Pisa could be next. -David Rothman rothman@clark.net rothman@cap.gwu.edu -------------------------------cut here---------------------------- 1. *Exactly* whose idea was the series of raids on community network and other local BBS systems? And who were the highest-ranking Italian officials who discussed matters beforehand? 2. Just what were the criteria for choosing specific boards to be raided? Did you have solid tips in the case of each board? 3. OK, so Italy does have a serious problem with bootlegging, but why these raids against BBS systems active in political and social issues? Wouldn't these boards want to take extra care to avoid excuses for political reprisals? "Taras Communications BBS has never had anything to do with software piracy and is well know for its activities related to humanitarian, peace, social and community issues," Giovanni Pugliese, one of the sysops, has been quoted. "Peacelink and its sister Fidonet Italia network had always pursued a very restrictive policy against any illegally copied software on their systems. Because Taras Communications BBS is the main National node of Peacelink network, its forced closure, hopefully very short, will result in a great damage for those hundreds of people - including journalists, activists, volunteers - that were widely relying upon its everyday services." 4. How many boards of right-wing political groups were raided? How many boards of left-wing groups? Please explain any disparities. 5. Some people feel that the Italian government could be trying to drive local systems out of business to clear the way r big congloimerates. Your response? 6. Up to how long could it take to clear the sysops, assuming they are not guilty, and just when will you return their equipment? 7. Will you also be raiding major Internet-oriented sites? What will your criteria for selecting which ones you raid? The same as for BBS-level systems? What level of evidence will be needed to justify raids on 'Net sites? 8. Were any Americans, either public officials, contractors, or private U.S. citizens, involved in the planning of the raids? And did any encourage them in any way, other than through general and rather understandable protests against software piracy. The metholodgy and legality of law enforcement is the issue here, not whether people have a right to pirate software. ----------------------------cuthere----------------------- And now the address of the Italian embassy and other offices in the U.S. and Canada: Embassy: * Washington, DC Embassy of Italy 1601 Fuller St. NW Washington, DC 20009 Tel. (202) 328-5500 328-5501 Fax (202) 328-5593 483-2187 Hours are 10am -12:30pm * Baltimore Consolato 222 North Charles Street Suite 106 Baltimore, MD 21201 Tel. (301) 727-6550 Fax (301) 727 6563 * Boston Consolato Generale 100, Boylston Street Suite 900, Boston, MA 02116 Tel. (617) 542 0483 542 0484 Fax (617) 542 3998 * Chicago Consolato Generale d'Italia 500 North Michigan Avenue Suite 1850 Chicago, IL 60611 Tel. (312) 467 1550 467 1551 Fax (312) 467 1335 Open: Monday-Friday, 9:00am-12:30pm Tel (312) 467-1550, 8:30am-4:00pm * Detroit Consolato 535 Griswold Buhl Bldg. 1840 Detroit, MI 48226 Tel. (313) 963 8560 Fax (313) 963 8180 * Houston Consolato Generale 1300 Post Oak Boulevard Suite 660 Houston, TX 77056 Tel. (713) 850 7520 850 7521 Fax (713) 850 9113 * Los Angeles Consolato Generale 12400 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 300 Tel. (213) 820 0622 Fax (213) 820 0727 * Miami Consolato Generale d'Italia 1200 Brickell Ave. Miami, FL 33131 Tel. (305) 374-6322 Fax (305) 374-7945 * New Orleans Consolato Generale 630 Camp Street New Orleans, LA 70130 Tel. (504) 524 2271 Fax (504) 581 4590 * New York Consolato Generale 690 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022 Tel. (212) 737 9100 Fax (212) 249 4945 * Paris Consolato italiano a Parigi Rue Conseiller Collignon 17 centralino: 44 30 47 00 fax: 45 25 87 50 * Philadelphia Consolato generale d'Italia Public Ledger Building Suite 1026 100 South 6th street Philadelphia, PA 19106 Tel. (215) 592 7329 592 7370 Fax (215) 592 9808 Aperto al pubblico dal lunedi al venerdi' dalle 9 alle 12:45 (questo per i documenti --- rispondono al telefono anche al pomeriggio) * Pittsburgh Consolato Italiano 419 Wood Street Pittsburgh, PA Tel. (412) 391-7669 * San Francisco Consolato Generale 2590 Webster Street San Francisco, CA 94115 Tel. (415) 931-4924 931-4925 Fax. (415) 931 7205 * Toronto Consolato Generale d'Italia 136 Beverly Street Toronto, Ontario M5T 1Y5 Canada Tel (416) 977 2193 In addition, if you have Hill, White House or State Department contacts, you might see if an official diplomatic investigation can begin. Perhaps the Italians will ignore questions from individual Americans, but some official interest in DC just might do the trick. From mbaker@apanix.apana.org.au Fri Jun 10 03:14:19 1994 Received: from seldon.apanix.apana.org.au (mbaker@seldon.apanix.apana.org.au [1 92.203.213.8]) by eff.org (8.6.9/8.6.6) with ESMTP id DAA12790 for ; Fri, 10 Jun 1994 03:13:30 -0400 Received: from localhost (mbaker@localhost) by seldon.apanix.apana.org.au (8.6. 4/8.6.4) id QAA09742; Fri, 10 Jun 1994 16:37:47 +0930 To: mech@eff.org (Stanton McCandlish) From: mbaker@apanix.apana.org.au (Michael Baker) Subject: Re: URGENT: offer of help from Australia Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 10:41:18 +1000 Message-ID: Lines: 67 Status: RO I have had further info from Riccardo Pizzi on the situation in Italy. I'm not sure what to do with it. Rather than let it languish in my bit bucket I thought I'd pass it on. The part where he says that systems were selected for busting on the basis of numbers called by the pirates is worying. Michael. > > > only a few systems (those who had a good attorney and needed the hardware > > > for their daily job) > > That's not so good. Can I pass this information on? > > Well, I can't offert you a detailed snapshot of the situation; there are > lots of rumors about other seizures as well. What I can tell you for sure > is that a couple friends of mine are still waiting for their equipment to > be returned, including one who shared the attorney with me. A friend of > mine in Bologna had their equipment back *completely* (mine is still under > seizure even if I can use it) but they did not give him the hard drives back! > So as you can see there are very different pictures depending on the system > involved... > > > Also I have gained the impression that the only evidence that was used > > as justification for busting most of the BBSes was that they appeared on > > the node list. Is this accurate? Again can I pass your answer on? > > No it is not accurate. We thought that in the first place, but talking with > a lawyer (who is the vice of the one who disposed about the seizure -- sorry > I just can't find the proper english term) we found out that they were > tapping the pirate's phone lines. So they just went after all called numbers > and disposed seizure of the answering systems' equipments... these pirates > probably called my system as well (they weren't registered users of my board > so I guess they just used an handle to log in and look around) and that put > me in troubles :-( > > > Waiting on events is not what I would do in a similar situation, but > > each to his own. Please pass on my offer of help to anyone who might > > benefit from it. > > Well, the reason I'm doing nothing right now is that my position is > partially solved, I mean, I can work and have all my precious data back... > while most other sysops are still waiting... this does not mean that I > don't care about an eventual group action, of course, but the attorney of > mine suggested me to keep out from any action that could accomunate my > position to the one of the whole group... he's afraid that some of the > involved sites are not "clean" from the piracy point of view and in that > eventuality I would be damaged as well... > > > Best wishes, > > Thanks for your support... I appreciated it, really. > > Later, > > Rick > -- > _\\|//_ > ( 0-0 ) > -------------------------------o00--(_)--00o--------------------------------- --- > Riccardo Pizzi, SysAdmin Tel: +39 71 204046 > I.T.A. Informatica e Fax: +39 71 2073033 > Tecnologie Avanzate s.r.l. E-Mail: staff@ita.it > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- -- Dr Michael Baker, PO Box 5, Flaxley SA 5153, Australia EFA Board Chairman. For info on EFA send email to efa-info@iinet.com.au Internet: mbaker@apanix.apana.org.au Fidonet: Michael Baker, 3:800/838 Compuserve: 10026,1321 Voice: 08 388 8439 Fax: 08 232 5414 [08 = +618] From berny@well.sf.ca.us Fri Jun 10 15:59:06 1994 Received: from well.sf.ca.us (berny@well.sf.ca.us [198.93.4.10]) by eff.org (8. 6.9/8.6.6) with ESMTP id PAA29770 for ; Fri, 10 Jun 1994 15:59:05 -0400 Received: (from berny@localhost) by well.sf.ca.us (8.6.9/8.6.9) id MAA03089; Fr i, 10 Jun 1994 12:58:25 -0700 Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 12:58:25 -0700 From: Bernardo Parrella Message-Id: <199406101958.MAA03089@well.sf.ca.us> To: kec@stubbs.ucop.edu Subject: Peacenet Italia urges help! Cc: mbaker@apanix.apana.org.au, mech@eff.org Status: RO ALERT! PEACELINK ITALIA URGES HELP! (please distribute widely - thanks) - - - - - - - original message - - - - - Peacelink Italia urges help! From: Bernardo Parrella To: All Subject: Peacelink Italia urges help! Date: June 10, 1994 Twenty-four days after the first major crackdown on Fidonet Italia BBSes, on Friday June 3, the Taranto Finance Police visited Taras Communications BBS, the main National Peacelink node and data-bank. Acting after a warrant issued by the Prosecutor of the same city, Giovanni Pugliese and his wife were charged for the possession of "illegally copied software and electronic equipment suitable to falsification." After searching their apartment for more than 5 hours (from 5 pm to 10.30 pm), Finance officials sealed off the PC and the modem running the BBS and seized bank-account receipts and 174 floppy disks - leaving behind the monitor. Because the Taranto node hosts most of the network archives and all the email traffic, at the moment the entire national Peacelink net is down. "Taras Communications BBS has never had anything to do with software piracy and is well know for its activities related to humanitarian, social and community issues," Giovanni Pugliese said. "Peacelink and its sister Fidonet Italia network had always pursued a very restrictive policy against any illegally copied software on their systems. Because Taras Communications BBS is the main National node of Peacelink network, its forced closure, hopefully very short, will result in a great damage for those hundreds of people - ranging from journalists to simple citizens - that were widely relying upon its everyday services." With more than 30 nodes throughout the country, several Fidonet gateways, and a project currently underway to connect directly to Comlink and the other APC Networks via the Bolzano node, Peacelink is completely dedicated to peace-actions, human rights and ecology issues. Founded in1992 as a specialized conference of Fidonet Italia network, Peacelink became quickly independent and well known even outside Italy. Recently the network hosted a national conference on pea ce-re lated matters, becoming also the only communication link for people in the former-Yugoslavia and the outside world. Peacelink was also working to put online a daily newspaper, "I Siciliani", focused on issues related to social problems of southern and insular parts of the country. The first phase of the crackdown (May 11-13) targeted Fidonet Italia network in several cities in the northern and cental regions of Italy. The Pesaro prosecutor, managing the biggest brach of the nationwide operation, ordered the searching of 119 BBSes and the closure of dozens of them - charging two people with software piracy. Another branch of the investigation, run by the Torino Finance Police, claimed a seizure "for a value of more than 4 billion of Italian lire (about US $2,5 million), including 17 personal computers; 13,690 floppy disks of illegally copied software," dozens of modems and electronic devices. Fourteen people in Torino and Terni were charged with "conspiracy with unknown for the crime of software piracy" - but no arrests were made. The new raid in Taranto occurred when sysops, users, media and citizens started working together to understand the real sense of such an operation. Several articles appeared (including BITMagazine, CommodoreGazette, L'Unita', La Repubblica), radio programs were aired (Radio Citta' Futura, Roma, Nova Radio, Firenze, Radio Popolare, Milano), public meetings are forthcoming (in Roma on June 27 and Pesaro on June 30), with politicians closely watching the events. Also, in the last few days the Pesaro judges ordered the first restitutions of the seized materials: about 20 sysops got back their computers and floppy disks (copied and under verification by investigators), while trials are under schedule. "Although rumours said that Peacelink was under inquiry since two years ago, just weeks before the assassination of anti-mafia judge Falcone, we didn't pay any attention to those voices," Alessandro Marescotti (Peacelink National coordinator) said. "I was wrong: the current raid against our main node and data-bank clearly shows that in our country someone has interest to shut down one of the very few organizations openly working against racism, war and mafia actions. Peacelink is dumb now, and so are the hundreds of volunteers, activists, journalists, citizens using its free services to make real changes in our society." Peacelink is launching an urgent appeal to the International community to help its main node to be online again as soon as possible. The request is for a donation of the minimum indispensabile equipment: - one PC 486 (8MB RAM, 380 MB Hard Disk); - one modem (external, 38,400 bps, USRobotics or equivalent). Thank you very much. Peacelink - C.P. 2009 - 74100 Taranto - Italy Alessandro Marescotti: tel. (++39) 99-303.686; fax (++39) 99-459.5912 Giovanni Pugliese: tel. (++39) 99-474.5147; fax (++39) 99-452.8463 For better coordination, please contact: Bernardo Parrella - 1172 24th Street - Oakland, CA 94607 - USA tel. 510.444.8542 - fax 510.419.0546 - email: ------- end of original message ---------- From owner-eff-activists@eff.org Fri Jun 10 18:17:04 1994 Received: (from daemon@localhost) by eff.org (8.6.9/8.6.6) id RAA03028 for eff- activists-exploder; Fri, 10 Jun 1994 17:27:15 -0400 Message-Id: <199406102126.RAA12304@zork.tiac.net> X-Sender: jmdaluz@zork.tiac.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 17:27:25 -0400 From: jmdaluz@kquest.com (Jose M. daLuz) Subject: Peacelink Italia urges help! (Fwd) X-Mailer: Precedence: list To: eff-activists@eff.org (eff-activists mailing list) Status: RO >Date: Fri, 10 Jun 1994 13:25:09 -0700 >Reply-To: "Communet: Community and Civic Network Discussion List" , > Bernardo Parrella >Sender: "Communet: Community and Civic Network Discussion List" >From: Bernardo Parrella >Subject: Peacelink Italia urges help! >X-To: COMMUNET@UVMVM.UVM.EDU >To: Multiple recipients of list COMMUNET > >Last week I posted here a report about the new raid in Italy targeting the >main Peacelink node, Taras Communication BBS in Taranto. > >This night I talked with the Taras sysop, Giovanni Pugliese, and he said >that, despite his efforts, at the moment his node is still dumb. > >Because the Taranto BBS hosts most of the National net data-banks and >distribute the email throughout the Peacelink nodes, the entire system is >essentially down. > >Thus Peacelink Italia decided to launch an urgent request of help to the >International community. > >The request is for a donation of the minimum indispensabile equipment to >enable Taras to be online as soon as possible: > >- one PC 486 (8MB RAM, 380 MB Hard Disk); >- one modem (external, 38,400 bps, USRobotics or equivalent). > >During last weeks several groups and people from anywhere in the world >expressed their concern about the current situation in the Italian online >scene: here is a concrete occasion to help a real community net! > >If you need more information or have ideas, proposals, materials please feel >free to contact me anytime. Any help will be greatly appreciated! > >Thank you very much, > >Bernardo Parrella > > > >1172 24th Street - Oakland, CA 94607 - USA >tel. 510.444.8542 - fax 510.419.0546 > >------------ > >Peacelink - C.P. 2009 - 74100 Taranto - Italy > >Alessandro Marescotti: tel. (++39) 99-303.686; fax (++39) 99-459.5912 > >Giovanni Pugliese: tel. (++39) 99-474.5147; fax (++39) 99-452.8463 > >----------- > > From comore@arcetri.astro.it Tue Jun 7 10:47:52 1994 Received: from thor.arcetri.astro.it (thor.arcetri.astro.it [150.217.20.31]) by eff.org (8.6.9/8.6.6) with SMTP id KAA05634 for ; Tue, 7 Jun 199 4 10:47:47 -0400 Received: by thor.arcetri.astro.it (5.65c/1.34) id AA00557; Tue, 7 Jun 1994 16:52:42 +0200 Date: Tue, 7 Jun 1994 16:52:42 +0200 From: comore@arcetri.astro.it (Gianni Comoretto) Message-Id: <199406071452.AA00557@thor.arcetri.astro.it> To: mech@eff.org (Stanton McCandlish) Subject: Re: Questions for Italian gov.--maybe in your own city Status: RO The raid was initiated by a pretor that arrested some real software pirats (I do not know your opinion about SW piracy, but it is illegal nevertheless). One of this guy had a list of about 130 BBS's, and ALL OF THEM were raided, closed for inquiry, and are still closed (until they will find how to check them, I presume). THe overall opinion of the Fidonet group now is that this si not a politic issue, simply disorganization and disinformation, together with the usual arrogance of the Police officers. I appreciate your effort to help us, however, and I hope for more publico opinion pressure. It is true that the thing went through without any comment from newspapers and media (apart from "Il Manifesto" and "Avvenimenti", that use the BBS for their work). -- Gianni Comoretto . __| | |__| |__/\ .. . From amcgee@netcom.com Wed May 25 16:02:22 1994 Date: Wed, 25 May 1994 16:02:22 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Fidonet Crackdown in Italy - Follow-up (fwd) Precedence: list To: eff-activists@eff.org (eff-activists mailing list) Status: RO ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 24 May 1994 12:04:27 -0700 From: Bernardo Parrella Subject: Fidonet Crackdown in Italy - Follow-up From: Bernardo Parrella To: All Subject: Fidonet Crackdown in Italy - Follow-up Date: May 23, 1994 "The crackdown needed to be done, software piracy has become a National sport in Italy. Unfortunately, the operation rapidly became too wide for our forces: right now, here in Pesaro we are only three Prosecutors, quite busy with penal trials, in court all day long. We will try to do our best with the less possible damage for the entire community." Here are the explanatory words of Gaetano Savoldelli Pedrocchi, the Pesaro Prosecutor who is managing the investigations that last week led to a nationwide crackdown on Fidonet Italia BBSes During the operation - confidentially known as "Hardware 1" - more than 60 (some sources go up to 130) Bulletin Board Systems have been visited and searched by police officials. In the central and northern part of the country, several Fidonet nodes were closed and dozens of operators were charged of "conspiracy with unknown for distribution of illegally copied software and appropriation of secret passwords." Some figures say the seizures included more than 120 computers, 300 streamer-cassettes and CD-ROMs, 60,000 floppy disks, an imprecise number of modems and other electronic devices. In some cases, police officials sealed off rooms and garages where the BBSes were operated or closed all the hardware they found in a closet. Several Fidonet operators (generally students, professionals, small-company owners) lost their personal data because every magnetic support was "suspected to carry pirated software". Aimed to crack a distribution ring of illegal software run by two people using the publicly available Fidonet nodelist, investigators searched and seized every single site of the list - even those that had never had any contact with the two suspected. Also, many operators not inquired by police were forced to immediately shut down their systems, searching for possible illegal software covertly uploaded on their BBSes. As a consequence of such indiscriminate operations, the real, very few pirate boards had the chance to quickly hide their businesses - sources say. "I do not believe to this scenario," said the Pesaro Prosecutor in an interview by SottoVoce Magazine. "We acted after precise information about the activities of a specific data-bank: if some operators have nothing to do with the charges, we'll verify it as soon as possible." Questioned about further investigations against BBSes users, the Prosecutor said: "We'll see later....at the present, users can sleep peacefully: otherwise, I cannot imagine how many people should be investigated. I do not want to criminalize the entire population. Even if the inquiry has become so vast, this is not a subject of vital importance for our country. It is mostly a fiscal and bureaucratic issue, a matter of small-scale but spread illegality." However, rumors say other inquires are currently underway in other cities, and even the Criminalpol is working on similar issues. Assisting the investigated people, some lawyers already asked for the immediate return of the confiscated materials, while others suggested to wait for better times. In any case, it will probably take months (years?) before receiving official answers regarding the seizures. Struggling to re-open in some way their systems, Fidonet operators are also working to get the attention of mainstream media on the issue - with little success, so far. After an article published by La Repubblica, two local newspapers, Il Mattino and Il Giornale di Brescia, run brief reports on May 15, both centered on "a wide software piracy ring cracked by police officials". But the real activity is happening inside and around electronic communities. MC-Link and especially Agora' Telematica (the biggest Italian systems) are doing a great job, offering space for news, opinions and comments - also acting as connection links between the decimated net of BBSes and worried individuals scattered in the country. Here is just one example: "....police officials seized everything, including three PCs (one broken), a couple of modem (just fixed for some friends), floppies, phone cables, phone-books. Now Dark Moon is off, hoping to have at least one line available in a few days, maybe at 2400. I fear that more raids will soon follow elsewhere. So, please, stay alert..." A catching dynamism flourishes from the BBSes linked to Cybernet. Although some of them are currently not operating, a special issue of the Corriere Telematico was just released over the net and their printed voice, Decoder Magazine, will soon distribute news, testimonies, comments on "Operation Hardware 1". PeaceLink has set up a defense committee-news center in Taranto and its spokesperson, Alessandro Marescotti, will sign an article for the next issue of the weekly magazine Avvenimenti. Promptly alerted, the International online community gave good response - quickly redistributing the news over the Net and sending supportive messages. Here is an email from Michael Baker, Chairman of Electronic Frontiers Australia: "To that end I am writing to offer assistance to anyone in Italy who wants to set up such an organisation. Recently I (along with others) have set up Electronic Frontiers Australia, and I am now its Chairman. Other national EF groups have been, or are being, set up in several other countries (Canada, Ireland, Norway, UK and Japan)....if there is anything we can do to help, please ask." Shifting toward politics, on May 19, the first working day of the new Italian Cabinet, six Members of the Reformers group presented a written question to the Ministers of Justice and Interior. After a short introduction about telecom systems, the document gives an account of the facts and asks three final questions to the Government: "- if it will intend to open an investigation to verify if the raids ordered by the Pesaro Prosecutor's office were prejudicial to the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression; - if it is not the case to set up a better and greater team of computer experts in order to avoid further random seizures of electronic devices that lead to shut down the BBSes; - if it is not the occasion to confirm that current legislation does not charge system operators with objective responsibility for users' activities on telecom systems." Although the Fidonet sysop community (about 300 people) is still quite uncertain regarding its future, many of them feel the urgent need to overcome a sort of cultural and social isolation that clearly surrounds the telecom scene in Italy. At the moment the main issue is how to raise public interest and political pressure to obtain clear laws in support of civil rights in the electronic medium. Ideas and proposals are developing from several electronic laboratories, such as the Community Networking conference on Agora' Telematica as well as on Cybernet. "We underestimate our strength: if we could just be able to set up an Italian Association of Telecom Users we could put pressure on political and legislative bodies." "Overwhelm newspapers, radio and tv stations with faxes, letters, phone calls!" "We must attract common people, through hundreds of tables and events in the streets more than online, even if we do not have a Kapor to support us." "There should be press-conferences in several cities, with the presence of investigated people along with famous persons, politicians." "What about a 24-hours silence from any system in the country with simultaneous events in each city and village where a BBS operates?" The situation is rather fluid and in e-motion. Stay connect! - Bernardo Parrella < - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > electronic distribution of this posting is greatly encouraged, preserving its original version, including the header and this notice < - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > From mbaker@apanix.apana.org.au Sun May 22 02:02:46 1994 Date: Mon, 16 May 94 16:31:26 GMT From: luc pac Subject: File 5--Fidonet Crackdown in Italy (update) Status: RO Updates will follow. >From 'la Repubblica' , May 13th 1994, page 21 COMPUTER PIRATE HUNTING IN ITALY (Caccia ai pirati dell'informatica) by CLAUDIO GERINO Translated by Fabio Rossetti. Translator's notes in square brackets. 'La Repubblica' is currently the 2nd most important newspaper in Italy after the 'Corriere della Sera'. 231 lines more (you've seen 74%) Message 521/556 From owner-cudigest@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU> Page 35 the 'Corriere della Sera'. ROME - Crime association finalized to the spreading of illegaly duplicated computer software; illegal passwords used to break into government owned computers: the first maxi-operation against computer piracy starts from the prosecutor's office in Pesaro, Italy, following the passage of the new computer crime bill on January 14th. Dozens of BBSes ('telematic data-banks') have been shut down; computers, floppy disks and modem have been seized; a large number of sysops (system operators) has been denounced all over Italy. Nonetheless, the actions of Sostituto Procuratore [italian prosecutor] Gaetano Saverio Pedrocchi have been questioned by the networks involved in the affair. Two very well-known networks, Peacelink and Fidonet, have been indeed caught under the eye of the judge from Pesaro. The first network - Peacelink - offers news and services regarding pacifist voluntary services in our country [Italy] and in the rest of the world. This is the network which, in collaboration with radio amateurs, has kept alive most of the communication with the people in ex-Jugoslavia. In these days it had even indicted a national conference on peace. The second network is instead the 'italian branch' of an 211 lines more (you've seen 77%) Message 521/556 From owner-cudigest@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU> Page 36 on peace. The second network is instead the 'italian branch' of an 'international sysop network' and is considered the most up-to-date data bank on telematics. Both network have iron clad rules regarding illegal duplication of computer software and password exchange. Both networks are based on the voluntary collaboration of system operators. On the other hand, investigations seem to have ascertained severe violations of the norms against computer piracy in Italy. It is not unlikely - at least so the investigators seem to intend - that inside those networks somebody has created a sort of secret sub-network, perhaps hiding it to the system operator themselves. The operation conducted by the 'Guardia di Finanza' [the italian customs office] started the night beetween Wednesday and yesterday [May 11th/ May 12th 94]: it will now be extended to all the people who logged themselves to the BBSes involved. "While in the rest of the world BBSes are assuming an extremely important role in the diffusion of information - explains Peacelink spokesman Alessandro Marescotti - in Italy networks with inflexible norms against piracy have been struck. All this has happened charging system operators with every responsability regarding everything that 191 lines more (you've seen 79%) Message 521/556 From owner-cudigest@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU> Page 37 system operators with every responsability regarding everything that could possibly happen in a bulletin board. The truth of the matter is the absence of laws protecting the rights to existance for these networks. Indeed, many volunteers have already decided to stop their activities, notably 'Net 10', a sort of 'telematic help line'. We suspect these investigations to be - as a matter of fact - aimed to favour the survival of commercial networks only." +______________________________________________________ BITs Against The Empire Computer Underground Fido 2:333/412 Research & Documentation CyberNet 65:1400/1 Trento - Italy Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive From: nyt@blythe.org (NY Transfer News) Subject: Fascism & the Media in Italy Date: Mon, 9 May 1994 19:25:21 GMT Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit [An interesting piece, badly translated. We don't have time to clean it up, but are distributing this because it includes important information on intelligence-fascist links and fascist use and control of broadcast media. -- NY Transfer] Date: Thu, 5 May 94 11:12:05 SET From: W04BOJ31@ICINECA.CINECA.IT Fascism and the Media in Italy: THE ITALIAN POLITIC AND MAMMI'S LAW The MAMMI'S LAW: after the result of the Italian political elections, it appears to be still more urgent to create an open field to the fight against the broadcasting and television regulation imposed in 1990 by the group of power constituted by Craxi, Andreotti, Forlani on Berlusconi's account. Who is Silvio Berlusconi? Berlusconi inaugurates his career as a building business man in Milano in the sixties. Although, he has poor means, his career is bewildering thanks to political supports and bank credits. but it's in the seventies-eighties, that his wealth will constitute the basis of an economical empire: while Italy is being shaken by the democratic and leftwing shove which brings 30% of the consent to the communist party, allows a few important civil conquests (abortion, divorce) assists to the growing of a strong and aggressive revolutionary leftwing (to the point that in Europe, it is talked about the "Italian case", the "weak link of the NATO chain"), in the meantime, a few blocks of power linked to the business world, to the magistrature, to the Army and police forces, to rightwing political exponents and to the Masonery, are giving life to a secret plan, which grows around the Masonic Lodge P2, called "the plan for the democratic rebirth". Such a plan is predicting, as soon as by 1976, the authoritarian reorganization of the social and political life in Italy: presidential democracy, reform of the electoral system (Italy is the only case in Europe which electoral system is strictly proprtional), collaborative and no more conflictual trade unions. Such a plan, despite inquiries from the magistrates, slowly grows and spreads, and today's Italy sees it completely fullfilled. In the meantime, Silvio Berlusconi, as various inquiries prove it, thanks to the important political supports in different sectors, goes on growing and prospering thanks to amazing credit facilities, which would have never been granted to any other Italian businessman. His link with the socialist party (which by the end of the seventies makes a reactionary swing in favour of capitalismo with Craxi's leadership), polluted by the P2 facts, allows him to accomplish the great leap: from a building businessman he becomes the owner of at least 3 national televisions, breaking thus the TV state monopoly,. During the eighties, Berlusconi is becoming more and more prosperous thanks to his political alliance with the Christian Democracy and the Socialist Party. Because of this political frame, we now descrive the 1990 Mammi's law , the only law in Europe which recognizes to a single economical subject the radio-television monopoly, with at least 3 national channels, 3 pay-televisions, a radio-network, a wide-diffused daily newspapers, half the monopoly of the Pubblicity market, the strangling of the other radios. Always in the eighties, berlusconi buys the Milan Footbal Club, another great source of popolarity for his "Transmitting Excellency". When by 1991, the "tangentopoli" blows up, that is the wide inquiry carried out by the magistrates on the corruption of the Italian political system, the Christian Democracy and the Socialist Party start falling into pieces under the indignation of the public opinion. At this point, the new plan goes off. In 1993, the separatist and populist party LEGA NORD (Northern League) achievies an evident electoral success in Northern Italy, while the neofascists from the Movimento Sociale Italiano - MSI - (Italian Social Movement) are assesting themselves in the south. In front of the prospect of an electoral victory from the "united leftwings", the only present and homogeneous group in the national territory, as well as anti monopolist and supporters of a new anti-trus law, Berlusconi, whose television and commercial empire is exposed for a debt of at least 4.500 billions of lire (probably still more) with the bank (which in Italy are under the controll of public authorities), enter the lists. In january 1994, FORZA ITALIA (COME ON ITALY!) is being launched with all the characteristics suitable for any commercial operation. FORZA ITALIA, the party of the Moderate rightwing's orphans, is based on a Reagan-like government program: war to the public assistance, reduction of taxes for the rich... etc, up to the fantastic promiss of a milion working-places in a country torn down by unemployment and industrial restructuration, which has emptied whole zones of the country. It is now that the power of the mass-media is being verified: Berlusconi's three channels are working perfectly well as powerful instruments for the creation of the public opinion, not only and not so much because of the factions conveyance of political information, rather than because of the cultural, social, consuming reference-system that is being created everyday: the optimism of the market, the cure for all evils, the prospect of an existence based on the stereotypes of the consumation, on the absolute values of the business know-how, the secessionist selfishness of Northern Italy, rich and industrialized are all the factors constituting tha basis for the victory of 27th of March; a trust based on Forza Italia, neofascists together with the North League win the elections in a clamorous way. On the 15th of April, during the process for Conspiracy against the Republic, all the accused of the masonic Lodge P2 are being discharged of the principal crime. On the 16th of April, Irene Pivetti from the North League, an integralist catholic with pre-council positions and near to cardinal Lefebvre's ones, is being elected at the Chamber of Deputies. 44 years after the liberation from nazi-fascism, we assist to the formation of a government led by Berlusconi together with fascist ministers and ministers from North League. On the 17th of april, Jack Lang, ex-minister of the Culture of the French socialist government, invites all the governments and the European Community to refuse themselves to have contact with the fascist ministers of the Italian Republic. In the meantime, between february and march, the withdravel of the concessions to the radios to broadcast has been carried on and almost ultimated. After the cancellation of 800 televisions, it's the turn of 2000 radios to be denied the right to broadcast. The Mammi's law is aiming at "rationalizing" the broadcasting frequencies considered "overpopulated": this has meant the imposition of extremely high caution money for most small radios, precarious living-conditions, redefinition of a sector in favour of a few wide concentrations, besides the only ones capable of overcoming the business and enterprise rules dictated by the law. All these conditions are being imposed by a State law, in the most anticonstitutional way. The aim is that of promoting medium-large groups upon which the whole publicity market is being diverted, trampling thus on the individual and associative right for free expression and free broadcasting. This is further confirmed by the fact, that under the pressure of the Catholic Church, a reservated number has been left aside in favour of communitarian radios, that is to say radios with social, religious, ethnical characteristics. To radios of the kind, the right to exist has been recognized but still with very limited possibilities of using pubblicity and sponsor to finance themselves. Besides, the assignment of the frequencies has been a real obstacle-race: complex technical and bureaucratic documentations to supply in very short terms, the imposition a minimum number of 3 regular employees in each radio, the payment of a heavy annual licence-fee plus a caution-money amounted to 300 milions of lire, useless sayng that it has prevented many radios to enetr the lists. Obviously, for all the small radios spared by the "national lottery of the Concessions" (like our radio), life is all the same quite hard: the communitarian radios have to dedicate 20% of their programmation to the local information (this threshold would be unreachable for the RAI iteself!). Moreover, the general conditions of the law - as reported above - make survival quite arduous. The same law for the Press, which was initially providing tariff dacilities for the radios as well, is still suspended, after years of failed application for many. On the 15th of march, a demonstration has been organized in Roma by the CONNA XXX, and the AIRA network, a group based on the informal and horizontal circulation of informations and confrontations between a few antagonist radios from Central and Northern Italy.We are reporting underneath part of the platform presented by the CONNA, with which we substantially agree: "- Rediscussion of the conditions in which each radio had to provide the necessary documentation requested by the law, as the terms of notice have revealed themselves to be too short and insufficient; - Cancellation if the imposition on both a minimum number of employees in each radio, and on licence fees and cautions absolutely unjustifiable; - Adjustment of the periods of time dedicated to information according to the real possibility of gathering local news, considering that they are difficult to find especially in small centers; - Possibility for the radios to have a free interconnection between them to co-produce common programms and news-bullettins; - Possibility to activate new radios belongin to linguistic minorities or organized groups aiming at any kind of sportiv, social, cultural promotions." We don't canceal the discomfort which overcomes us at the thought that there must be a regulation and taxation on an activity which has no cost at all for the collectivity. Hence, the only regulation we would expect would be that of prohibiting wide monopolistic concentrations, but it seems that the tendency is quite different nowadays.... Never as presently, the possibility of life for independent radios has been so central and vital in order to guarantee the plurality and freedom of information. *************************************************************************** RADIO K CENTRALE 107.05 Mhz Self managing Radio for Bologna and Province *************************************************************************** What is -Radio K Central? It's a project of communication born in Bologna (Italy) in summer 1992 from a great number of persons who recognize themseleves in the italian new left , and more precisely in the autonomous movement. Together with RKC, other 7 sister-radios are currently covering the national territory - Radio sherwood (Padova); Radio Onda D'urto (Milano e Brescia); Radio Onda Rossa (Roma); Radio Blackout (Torino) - . All these radios are constituting the AIRA (Agency of Information of Antagonist Networks) tigether with the world wise telematic network ECN (European Counter Network). Moreover, the radios are directly linked with teh squatted social centers, self-organized work committees, libraries and documentation centers, as well as being present and the active in situations of social fight inside the urban and human evirnment. Its obvious to assert that RKC is a keypoint in the network, network of varoius realities, which keep their own autonomy of movement, but which are all looking forward to conitnuous interaction, information exchanges, and to the promotion of direct actions for the satisfaction of peoples real nedds. RKC, as well as the other sister radios are growing with the necessity of coming out from cultural impositions and mass-media logics. Self- management is the keyword, the tool which gives life to the project and allows to remain completely independent and out of sharing-out logics of Culture and politics of the economical, political and cultural potentates. The financing of the radio is based on the programmation of varous concerts, initiatives, on listeners subscriptions and on comrades who are working everyday in the studio. Self- management is thus becoming a political and cultural pattern to re-propose, a way to underline the power contradictions and clashes which are dominating the urban structure of our territories. -30- For more information: Andress: Radio K Centrale Via Azzogardino, 23 - Bologna - Italy Tel./Fax.: 0039 - 51 - 551740 E-Mail: w04boj31@icineca.cineca.it -- + 212-675-9690 NY TRANSFER NEWS COLLECTIVE 212-675-9663 + + Since 1985: Information for the Rest of Us + + GET INFO from ftpmail%transfr@blythe.org + + e-mail: nyt@blythe.org info: info@blythe.org + -- ----------------------------- Art McGee [amcgee@netcom.com] ----------------------------- ref: http://www.olografix.org/gubi/estate/archivio/inglese/CRAKENG2.TXT