The National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists (NCLS), a joint body of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Bar Association, will address ethical and legal aspects of computer use and abuse in two interdisciplinary, invitational conferences. A broad based advisory committee will oversee all aspects of the project, including preparation of meeting agendas, selection of authors and topics for commissioned papers, development of invitation lists, and dissemination activities. A call for open submissions of papers, in addition to commissioned papers, will be issued and places at the meetings will be reserved for those selected. Conference one will address the manner in which ethics and the law frame issues of computer use and abuse. Discussions will encompass current statutes and law enforcement efforts related to computer abuse. They will also look at the role of extra-legal institutions in shaping responsible computer use and discouraging and providing remedies for abuse. The conference will consider what professional, legislative and other public policy remedies are available. The second conference will examine international aspects of these issues. It will include foreign experts, and discuss different models for encouraging ethical behavior among computer users and for limiting problems of abuse. The international focus and participation will help to set the stage for future international cooperation. Two conference reports will be distributed. Primary dissemination of the conference papers will be through journal or book publication, as well as in summary articles in journals and newsletters of professional and policy groups.
