Events

Public Forums

Media Activist Danny Schechter

Speaker: Media Activist and Film Director, Danny Schechter
"Media and Homeland Insecurity"
Friday, September 30, 1-3PM, Clary Theater
IP3 and the Southern Media Justice Coalition co-host a talk by media activist Danny Schechter. This event is free and open to the public.
At 7PM there will be a showing of his movie Weapons of Mass Deception (at GSU's Cinefest Theater.)

Click here for a FLYER for his full program of activities in Atlanta on September 30.

Does Sunshine Dry Up Economic Development?

Thursday, June 16, 6:30/7:30 PM
IP3 and the Atlanta Press Club co-host a moderated discussion about the recent attempts to change the Georgia Open Records Act, including House Bill 218, which would have exempted certain economic development records from public scrutiny, or what many media outlets named “the secrecy bill.”

Join us at the Clary Theater at Georgia Tech at 6:30 p.m. for a networking reception with the panel discussion from 7:30 – 9 p.m. The event will be free for members of the Atlanta Press Club as well as students and faculty of Georgia Tech; $10 for all others.

The proposed changes to Georgia’s open records generated reams of newsprint and editorials and became one of the most controversial of the 2005 legislative session, although it wasn’t the only bill introduced to create more open records exemptions. Many proponents of HB 218 blamed the media for whipping up opposition to the bill. But opponents blamed Republicans for trying to weaken the public’s right to know. Our panelists will deepen the discussion.

Proponents of the bill will be given a chance to discuss why they believe the proposal would have put Georgia on a more equal footing with neighboring states when bidding for new companies to come here. Opponents will be given a chance to present their views on why they believe the bill weakened the state’s commitment to open records. And the discussion is still relevant, as the bill could still be on the table for the 2006 legislative session.

Invited guests include:
Sheila L. Tefft, Emory University Journalism Program Director, will moderate the program. Tefft was a reporter, editor and foreign correspondent for almost 25 years. Panelists include:
Charlie Gatlin, chief of staff to Commissioner Craig Lesser, Georgia Department of Economic Development;
Hollie Manheimer, Georgia First Amendment Foundation;
Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chicamauga, a proponent of House Bill 218
Rep. Nan Orrock, D-Atlanta, an opponent of House Bill 218;
representative of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Members of the Capitol press corps will be in the audience to pose questions to the panelists during the Q&A session.

 

IT Offshoring: Its Effect on the People and Economy of Georgia

Weds., Sept. 1, 7:30AM

Using a town hall format, this forum promoted discussion about whether the outsourcing phenomenon is: myth or reality; sound economics or a management fad; a threat to jobs or an opportunity for innovation and new growth

The panel included the following people from the Atlanta Business Community:
- Facilitator - Bill Nigut, veteran political analyst and Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Arts & Culture Leadership Alliance
- Panelist - Ravi Kalakota, CEO e-Business Strategies (e-Business Strategies is an Atlanta based consulting firm specializing in outsourcing issues)
- Panelist - Julie Carlock, Vice-President Sales and Marketing, Aelera Corporation (Aelera recently decided to "homeshore" jobs back into Georgia)
- Panelist - Hans Klein, Professor, Georgia Tech School of Public Policy

This breakfast forum took place on Wednesday, September 1st from 7:30am to 9:30am in the Bank of America Tower. The main sponsor was the Georgia Electronic Commerce Association (GECA).

Globalization Forum: Globalization Forum: Politics, Economics, and IT Outsourcing

Thursday, April 22, at 7:30 PM
Clary Theater (Student Success Center) at Georgia Tech

With the world focused on Georgia for the G8 Summit in June, issues of globalization are being widely debated. This public forum brings the debate to Atlanta, a major international city and a candidate for the FTAA secretariat. Speakers will address the benefits and concerns about global trade, out-sourcing of high-tech jobs, and government-business policy making. Panelists are:

  • Cynthia McKinney, former 4th District Congresswoman. Ms. McKinney has been praised by Ralph Nader as a champion for consumers and workers and recently spoke at the World Social Forum in Mumbai, India.
  • Donald Ratajczak, Regents Professor Emeritus of Economics at GSU. A nationally known economist and one of the leading econometric forecasters in the country, Ratajczak directed Georgia State's Economic Forecasting Center.
  • Ravi Kalakota, co-founder and CEO of the innovation consulting practice, E-Business Strategies. Dr. Kalakota recently published Offshore Outsourcing: Business Models, ROI and Best Practices.

    The forum will be moderated by Georgia Tech professor Hans Klein.

    F or more information contact IP3@IP3.gatech.edu

Co-sponsors:

 

Balancing Freedom and Security: The Patriot Act and Homeland Security

Audio Recording:
Click here to download.

Press Coverage:
Fulton County Daily Report: "Patriot Act Eroding Our Freedoms, Barr Charges" (R. Robin McDonald) (Cache)

Thursday, November 20
7:30 PM Event (Free)
6:30 PM Reception (Free for Georgia Tech and Atlanta Press Club; $10 otherwise)
Clary Theater (Student Success Center, next to Tech Tower)

The Patriot Act and other recent domestic security laws have given rise to a lively policy debate. Citizen groups and lawmakers on both the right and left have criticized the legislation for allowing secret searches and investigations, the easy arrest and incarceration of non-US citizens, and the monitoring of citizens' reading habits, medical history, and financial records. Federal officials argue that these powers are necessary to ensure homeland security. This panel will discuss the legislation's implications for Georgia citizens.

This event features a rare face-to-face meeting of a supporter and a critic of the Patriot Act:

  • Assistant US Attorney Randy Chartash is responsible for enforcing the Patriot Act.
  • Former US Congressman Bob Barr has been an outspoken critic.

They will present their respective views and take questions from a distinguished panel consisting of:

  • Jabari Simama from the Atlanta Mayor's Office of Community Technology
  • Ann Woolner of Bloomberg News
  • John Sugg of Creative Loafing

Jointly sponsored with Atlanta Press Club and the Georgia Electronic Commerce Association (www.GECA.org). Additional support from the Fulton County Daily Report.

For an event flyer, click here.

 

 

Democracy and Technology: Electronic Voting and Georgia

Thursday, October 16
3-4:30 PM, Clary Theater (Student Success Center)

Video Recording (WMV format):
Click here to download. (Note: quality is initially poor and becomes fair.)

Press Coverage:
Flagpole Magazine, "Critics Say Georgia's Computer Voting System is Not Secure". Merrill Morris, October 29, 2003. (cache)

Presentation Slides:
Presentation by Prof. Dan Wallach (PDF format).

When the Georgia state government adopted electronic voting, it
established itself as a leader in the technology of democracy. Recently,
however, questions have emerged over the Diebold voting system used
across the state.

Last summer, university researchers published a report claiming that
the voting system is "far below even the most minimal security
standards applicable in other contexts." A later Diebold analysis claimed
to refute those criticisms, while a report by SAIC drew mixed conclusions.
The state of Maryland recently chose to adopt the Diebold technology.

This event offers computer scientists, public officials, and industry
representatives an opportunity to present their analyses to the
Georgia public. It offers a neutral, academic setting for a fact-based
discussion of what has become a contentious issue.

Speakers

Prof. Dan Wallach, Rice University Dept. of Computer Science, co-author
of "Analysis of an Electronic Voting System" (Johns Hopkins Information
Security Institute Technical Report TR-2003-19)

Prof. Douglas Jones, Examiners for Electronic Voting Systems, State of Iowa,
and faculty member of the University of Iowa Dept. of Computer Science.

Moderator: Prof. Hans Klein, Director of IP3 and Associate Professor
of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Speakers have also been invited from Diebold Election Systems and from
the Georgia state government.)

Additional Information

"Analysis of an Electronic Voting System" (Johns Hopkins Information Security
Institute Technical Report TR-2003-19) by Tadayoshi Kohno, Adam Stubblefield,
Avi Rubin, and Dan Wallach. July 23, 2003. http://avirubin.com/vote/

Diebold "Technical Analysis" of Johns Hopkins Report.
http://www2.diebold.com/checksandbalances.pdf

SAIC Analysis of Diebold AccuVote-TS voting system.
http://www.dbm.maryland.gov/dbm_search/technology/toc_voting_system_report/votingsystemreportfinal.pdf

Doug Jones Web Site on Voting and Elections
http://www.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/voting/

“Computer Voting is Open to Easy Fraud, Experts Say,” John Schwartz, The New York Times, July 24, 2003, page A12.

"All the President's Votes," Andrew Gumbel, The Independent (UK), October 14, 2003. [Note: IP3 does not endorse the analysis in this article.]

Download the event flyer (PDF).

 

 

 

Jailhouse Rock: File Swapping, Intellectual Property, and the Law

Gigi Sohn
President, Public Knowledge

Tuesday, September 23
3-5PM, Clary Theater (Student Success Center)

Intellectual property rights have been expanding for years, but only recently have they become front-page news. Students are being served restraining orders for reverse-engineering campus networks, Internet users are being sued for swapping files, and professors claim to fear to publish their research. In justification of such actions, trade groups argue that free information exchange profoundly threatens the film, music, and software industries.

Gigi Sohn is a leading advocate for limitations on intellectual property rights and open access to information. She co-founded Public Knowledge, which advocates a balance between private protections and public benefits of information. She will talk about recent events affecting college students and will relate this to larger issues in intellectual property.

Download flyer (PDF).

 

 

 

 

 

Events from 2002.

Kick-off Event for the Spring Internet Speaker Series
US Congressman Bob Barr speaks about "Civil Liberties in Cyberspace"
Atlanta, GA, February 15, 2002 - U.S. Congressman Bob Barr launches this spring's Internet Speaker Series at the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy. Congressman Barr is a long-time advocate for citizens' rights to online privacy. His talk will draw on his experiences with the Department of Justice and the Central Intelligence Agency and will address responsible governance of the Internet.

New Directions in Internet Policy Workshop [February 15, 2002]
Academic Researchers and Internet Experts Converge to Discuss Intellectual Property, Access, and the Public Interest. [Workshop program].

Ivan Allen College Lecture on Internet Governance
"The Internet and Global Democracy"
by Prof. Hans Klein, School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology

INET-2002: "Internet Crossroads"
The Annual meeting of the Internet Society (ISOC) will be held near Washington DC in June 2002. IP3 faculty are playing an active role in shaping the program for this event.

ICANN Annual Meeting: Special Program
At this event held in November 2001 in Marina del Rey, IP3 faculty worked with CPSR, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center to present a day-long series of panels on non-commercial and user-oriented topics. These included: the redelegation of .ORG, a reassessment of the 1998 privatization of the domain name system, and a discussion over user representation in ICANN.