Privacy Experts Wayne Crews and Robert Ellis Smith to Speak At Forum On Personal Privacy Sponsored by RTP Chapter of CPSR On May 23, 1-4 PM At North Carolina State University.

Business Editors/High Tech Writers

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 9, 2001

The RTP Chapter of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) is sponsoring a "Forum on Personal Privacy" on May 23rd from 1 to 4pm in Kamphoefner auditorium located on the North Campus of North Carolina State University.

The forum is the newly-formed chapter's inaugural event and is free and open to the public. Co-sponsors include ibiblio.org, the Center for Information Society Studies, and the School of Library Science at UNC Chapel Hill. The forum will feature Wayne Crews, Director of Technology Policy at the Cato Institute; Robert Ellis Smith, attorney and publisher of Privacy Journal; Brock Meeks, award winning journalist and Washington D.C. bureau chief for MSNBC; and other experts on technology and policy as it relates to privacy. The event intends to increase awareness of and discussion around the use (and misuse) of personal information in the high-technology sector. It is expected that the event will be of interest to policymakers, technologists, and others interested in privacy issues.

"We're excited to provide an opportunity to host some of the leading experts on privacy at our inaugural gathering," said RTP CPSR Chapter chairperson Christian Stalberg. "And we're especially thrilled to be able to bring together Triangle residents interested in privacy issues. The Triangle employs a large number of high-tech workers whose work shapes the debate on personal privacy."

The May 23rd event is the first public event for the newly formed Research Triangle Park chapter of CPSR, an organization with chapters worldwide. The forum will be webcast live over the Internet by ibiblio.org. For more information about the event and directions, please visit the RTP chapter's Web site at http://www.rtp.nc.us or send email to [e-mail].

ABOUT COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CPSR is a public-interest alliance of computer scientists and others concerned about the impact of computer technology on society. The organization works to influence decisions regarding the development and use of computers because those decisions have far-reaching consequences. As technical experts, CPSR members provide the public and policymakers with realistic assessments of the power, promise, and limitations of computer technology. As concerned citizens, members direct public attention to critical choices concerning the applications of computing and how those choices affect society.