ParaNet BBS/seti law

ParaNet BBS/seti law

File Name:	seti_law.txt
Author:	Unknown
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BBS Main Page:	ParaNet Main Page
Key Words:	ParaNet, UFO, Ufology

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ParaNet File Number: 00212


The following is a reprint of an article which appeared in the 
May/June issue of Technology Review.  The article was written by 
Stephen Strauss, a science reporter for the Toronto Globe and 
Mail.

------------------------------------------------------------

What should astronomers do if they detect what might be a 
message from intelligent beings from outer space?  Who should 
they tell first?

Priciples of scientific openness should guide all responses to 
outer-space signals, according to an international group that 
includes a space lawyer, astronomers, and the director of the 
U.S. State Department's Office of Advanced Technology.  After 
four years of debate, the group formally presented an 
international protocol for such occasions at an International 
Astronomical Congress meeting in Bangalore, India, in October 
1988.

"Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence" (SETI) projects assume 
that coherent radio signals from outer space must be either 
beacons from civilizations wishing to attract attention or 
unplanned evidence of technical competence.  But SETI astronomers 
have long worried that some officials might see a potential for 
political or technological gain in being the first to reply to 
aliens.  Such politicians might try to keep discoveries of 
incomming signals secret.  Messages would also need decoding, and 
bringing in professional code breakers could enmesh the response 
to extraterrestrials in the world of espionage.

Georgetown University law professor Allan Goodman has argued 
since 1984 for international rules of conduct to keep SETI signal 
analysis from becoming a political football.  Peter Boyce, 
executive director of the American Astronomical Society, adds, 
"We want to circumvent political fiat" that would prevent a 
discovery from reaching the global scientific community.  Both 
Boyce and Goodman are among the authors of the report.

Scientists have also been concerned that unverified alerts might 
panic the public.  News of a SETI event might lead to 
embarrassment as well, because the signals could turn out to have 
a less-than-glamorous origin.

In fact, since the first formal SETI searches began in 1960 at 
the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Greenbank, W. Va., a 
number of "false positives" have been reported.  These anomalies 
have appeared so unique, that an alien civilization has seemed 
the only explanation.  Perhaps the most famous example is a 
strong signal recorded in 1977 at Ohio State University.  A team 
member wrote "wow" next to his notes, lending that name to such 
phenomena.  The Ohio State wow never reappeared.

Boyce appends a related problem.  "We need a breathing spell to 
avoid being duped by Caltech undergraduates," he says.  Those 
students have made a name for thenselves by perpatrating hoaxes.


VERIFY AND TRUST

The proposal addresses verification issues first.  Those who 
discover a signal would strive to eliminate the possibility that 
a natural or human source had emitted it.  If they succeeded, 
they would notify national authorities such as NASA that 
something significant had been found.  They would also inform 
research organizations that sign the treaty, who would attempt to 
independently confirm the finding, or provide an alternate 
explanation.

If the scientists at these organizations agree that some 
extraterrestrial intelligence is the likely source of the signal, 
they would notify the astronomical community at large, the 
United Nations, and space-law bodies, such as the International 
Union of Space Law in Paris.  Only after this would the 
discoverers go public with their finding, assuming that the 
secret had not leaked out already.

While secrecy is necessary during the verification process, the 
protocol places a high priority on ensuring open access to SETI 
information.  The protocol would bind signatories to record and
permanently store all data relating to a signal.  Moreover, 
researchers would make data generally available in a variety of 
formats.

Because replying is a political act, the protocol adds that no 
single nation should control the answer.  It states that "no 
response to a signal or other evidence of extraterrestrial 
intelligence will be sent until appropriate international 
consultations have taken place."  Specifically, the accord looks 
to a proposal presented at a 1987 meeting of the congress of the 
International Astronomical Federation, which suggests making all 
responses on behalf of humanity as a whole.  And any 
communication to outer space must be peaceful, truthful, and 
express tolerance of differences.

Over the next four years, a number of scientific and space-law 
bodies will consider the Bangalore proposal.  The authors hope to 
present it to the United Nations before Columbus Day 1992.  On 
that date, NASA hopes to begin a $90 million SETI program that 
will sweep the skies looking for wow indicators from all 
directions, as well as radio signals from the 1,000 closest 
sun-type stars.