4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 17, 2000 Edited and managed by GEOFF GAGNON PETER CUNNIFFE students at the Ir 4t ' Editor in Chief JOSH WICKERHAM University of Michigan Editorial Page Editors I la Unless otherwise noted. unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the 420 Mayna rd Stre etmajority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and Ann Arbor, MI 48109 cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily G eneral Motors' recent filing of an ami-mit dents will be without looking at a broad cus brief supporting the University in range of factors, including race. Whether we 'the two lawsuits challenging the University's E flfl *I r like it or not, race does influence how people consideration of race in its admissions poli- in this country live, how society treats them cy is further affirmation of the importance of GM Af6IC I ' ~a to and what opportunities they have. the University's efforts to maintain a diverse GM defends U~ affirmiLve actin po"cie Ending the diversity in higher educatiq educational environment. General Motors will only perpetuate this situation, harm uni- hires many University graduates and recog- concludes that college students who experi- diverse environments. versities' educational environments and nizes that having a work force educated in a ence the most racial and ethnic diversity in As the U.S. becomes a more diverse damage U.S. companies' ability to effective- diverse program is essential to its ability to classrooms and during interactions on cam- nation, many minority groups continue to be ly compete. effectively compete in the increasingly glob- pus become better learners and more effec- under-represented in higher education The University's commitment to main- al economy. tive citizens." because of generally more difficult econom- taining diversity is not only in the best inter- This important and gratifying show of The importance of a diverse education in ic situations and inferior secondary educa- ests of its ability to properly educate its stu- support from one of the world's largest cor- our increasingly diverse nation and the ever tional opportunities. Growing up with fewer dents, but - as GM's support demonstrates porations - and also one of the area's largest more interconnected world has never been opportunities does not mean one is less intel- - in the best interest of our local and nation- employers - demonstrates the growing more clear. The assault on the University's ligent or less able to succeed in college. The al economy. recognition of the importance of diversity in effort to maintain diversity, being spearhead- University's admissions policies recognize As General Motors states in its le education by the business community. ed by a Washington D.C.-based law firm this fact and take many factors - including brief, "Only a well-educated, highly-dive Leaders in business are coming to under- dedicated to dismantling diversity efforts in race - into account besides grades and stan- workforce, comprised of people who have stand that students learn more effectively in higher education and every other area possi- dardized test scores when judging applicants. learned to work productively and creatively a diverse 'environment where they are ble, is an attack on the University's ability to Considering the broad differences in the with individuals from a multitude of races exposed to as many different viewpoints and provide the best education possible. As GM quality of schools, curricula, economic and ethnic, religious and cultural histories ways of looking at the world as possible. As points out in its statements of support, stu- backgrounds and experiences of its appli- can maintain America's global competitive- General Motors' vice-chairman Harry J. dents will be ill-equipped to function in the cants, the University cannot make accurate ness in the increasingly diverse and intercon- Pearce put it, "a growing body of research global marketplace without training in assessments of who the most successful stu- nected world economy." E-nail's big brother FBI illicitly invading citizens' privacy Bolefgineered food Consumers left in the dark by government The FBI has recently come under fire from internet privacy groups and the ACLU for a controversial e-mail snooping system that monitors all e-mail passing through networks connected to the device. The system, dubbed "Carnivore" by the FBI - because it gets at the "meat" of informa- tion - is dangerous because it is capable of scanning sender and receiver information along with the subject lines of all passing mail to determine if those messages contain information worth saving for FBI review. Unlike phone taps, Carnivore's almost unlimited access to private messages carries a high potential for abuse by overzealous FBI agents and allows the possibility of tar- geting users not suspected of any crime. Court orders are currently required to tap phone lines or gather information from ISP's on possible illegal activity carried out over electronic mediums like e-mail, but Carnivore is much more pervasive. The sys- tem is an untouchable box installed on pri- vate networks to collect all information pass- ing through them. This is like installing a device that listens to every phone conversa- tion to determine whether or not the phone calls should be monitored by law enforce- ment. But information on the inner workings of Carnivore remains sketchy. This alarms- many privacy advocates, like Representative Bob Barr (R-GA), who had one word for the system: "Frightening." One solution involves allowing the code of Carnivore to be perused by independent groups who would examine its workings to make sure the information being collected is limited to those under investigation for ille- gal activity. This seems a viable solution, as the integrity of the Carnivore system would not be violated, yet could still be monitored. The FBI announced Friday that Carnivore could be reviewed by independent acade- mics, but this does not go far enough. A more palatable alternative to Carnivore would leave ISP's responsible for turning over information on targeted users for FBI review, as is the current practice with phone companies in possession of incriminating evidence. This allows some degree of pro- tection and would be a reasonable alternative to widespread electronic surveillance. More sweeping reform could come from Congress, as legislators examine the ACLU's recommendation to draft legislation that would bring Carnivore and similar schemes under control. Current privacy legislation needs to evolve to include provisions ensur- ing that access to electronic communications by law enforcement is limited to suspect users and specific court-approved targets only. The potentially abusive nature of Carnivore is not something we should learn to live with in the digital age. Law-abiding citizens cannot have their privacy infringed by law enforcement agencies interested in collecting data on a few criminals. Congress must keep up with the times and fully examine the feasibility of wide- ranging changes to electronic privacy. Outdated laws like the 14-year-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which allows for real-time interception of messages with a court order does not include provisions for new technologies and allows for loopholes like Carnivore. Whether Carnivore's code is opened to public investigation or more stringent atten- tion is paid to governmental bodies engaged in electronic snooping, the laws are far behind technological means. It is time the American people receive comprehensive legislative protection from risky, unaccount- able law enforcement techniques that violatej Fourth Amendment protection from unrea- sonable searches. H istory has perhaps repeated itself too quickly for the human eye to see. Tobacco companies were recently convicted of knowingly harming consumers for decades - before the 1970's - without warning them of the health risks posed by their products. Yet, though the smoke is still curling skyward from the stamped-out butts of the tobacco magnates, another industry- sponsored crop is being successfully market- ed with little research or consumer education - this time with the approval of the U.S. government. Under the authority of the Clinton Administration and the Food and Drug Administration, producers of genetically modified (GM) foods have essentially been granted permission to use American con- sumers as guinea pigs. The FDA is notorious for delaying the approval of drugs. These delays may cost some lives by leaving potentially life-saving drugs off the market, but this is a price many Americans are willing to pay to ensure their safety. Regarding GM foods, however, the FDA has only recently begun any kind of formal control. New legislation will soon require companies to notify the FDA four months in advance of putting GM foods on the market. However, the only required research may come from producers' own research teams. Compared to an average three to five years for the approval of a drug, four months seems an unreasonable - even unsafe - amount of time to ensure the viability of a product in a frighteningly under-researched area of food production. More appropriate than this paltry research might be more effective controls on GM foods in general. When the citizens of Europe rejected GM foods, their collective voice was heard. The European market cur- rently has the strictest regulations on GM foods, with under ten percent of its food con- taining bioengineered components, and those only under the most exacting rules. Large groups of Americans have also tried to voice their disagreement with the uncontrolled use of bioengineering in fo4 production, but the government has ignored them, following a policy exactly opposed to the desires of no small minority. With a wave of its industry-influenced hand, the government pushes aside the doubts and complaints of the American peo- ple, claiming fears of harm from GM crops are unjustified. While a lack of research on the effects of GM foods on humans delay definitive claims of harm, the scien ic community can offer much negative evi- dence regarding the effect of this agricultur- al tinkering on the environment. Bioengineering of crops leads to a loss of biodiversity, which travels down food chains, threatening species in a domino effect. Pollen from modified crops can be carriedto wild or natural crops, creating new species that can threaten ecosystems. Perhaps most threatening, these highly culti- vated crops are also highly vulnerable to Sw attacks from insects or disease. The useow it one "supercrop" may feed us now, but with the current rate of population growth, sus- tainability is key. Producers of GM foods are currently pushing to keep product labeling voluntary. The fear of a decline in sales is motivating companies to withhold information on their use of GM foods from consumers. Rather than continue this deceitful behavior, pr ducers of GM foods must be forced to gain the trust of consumers through research con- ducted by non-biased groups who do not have a vested economic interest in promot- ing GM products.