🚀 go-pugleaf

 Godwin And Figola Speak To NY Group About EFF Affiliation 9/18/92
 NEW YORK, NEW YORK, U.S.A., 1992 SEP 18(NB) -- Mike Godwin,
 in-house counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Cliff
 Figola, director of the EFF's Cambridge, Massachusetts office, speaking to
 a group of New York computer activists, stressed EFF's desire to establish
 a network of local chapters.
 
 Godwin told the group that local chapters can function as the "nervous
 system of EFF" by responding to local matters as they occur. He said "You
 can be our link to what's actually happening in the electronic
 communications world. You also provide us with increased memberships
 numbers that can be used when we put forth a position to Congress or a
 regulatory body. EFF wants to represent real people and not just be
 considered a Hoover Institute type of think-tank."
 
 Godwin said that EFF's contribution to local chapters will include aid in
 attracting membership, availability of legal aid for local sysops, an
 umbrella not-for profit "501-c-3" organization and the strength that comes
 from association with a national organization.
 
 Figola, until recently executive director of the WELL (Whole Earth
 'Lectronic Link), told the group that one of his major responsibilities with
 EFF will be working with local chapters and that he felt that the
 relationship with chapters will be flexible and may possibly vary according
 to the needs of different localities. He said "We have not adopted a formal
 policy for chapters and groups like this, Austin and Berkeley may well
 define the policy."
 
 The group, brought together by law student Simona Nass, an EFF member,
 is in the process of considering whether to affiliate with EFF or to form an
 independent organization. It has met twice before. Attendees at the meeting
 with Godwin & Figola included Nass, Joe King, host of WBAI radio
 program "The Computer Show"; Lance Rose, attorney and author of
 "Syslaw"; Alexis Rosen, co-owner of PANIX, a NY area BBS and Internet
 provider; Bruce Fancher and Patrick Kroupa, owners of Phantom Access,
 a New York BBS system; "Acid Phreak", college student and New York
 "hacker" currently under federal indictment; Stacy Horn, owner of ECHO,
 an on-line conferencing service and founder of "Women's On-Line
 Network (WON; John McMullen, New York bureau chief of Newsbytes,
 Danny Lieberman, and other users of the Phantom, Echo and Panix
 systems
 
 EFF currently has offices in Cambridge and Washington, DC and a local
 chapter in Austin, Texas. Additionally, a group in Berkeley, CA is
 presently going through the same type of affiliation decision process that
 the New York group is engaged in.
 
 Godwin later told Newsbytes "I was very glad to have the opportunity to
 meet with a group of New Yorkers interested in forming a computer-
 related policy group. Whether or not there is a formal affiliation with
 EFF, I'm sure that the group will make a significant contribution to the
 understanding of issues relating to the developing technology."
 
 (Barbara E. McMullen/Press Contacts:Cliff Figola, EFF, 617 864-0665
 (voice), fig@eff.org (e-mail); Simona Nass, simona@panix.com (e-mail)
 /19920918)