From: edi...@eff.org
Subject: EFFector Online 08.15 * EFF Moved; Net Censorship Alert Update
Date: 1995/09/09
Message-ID: <42tal3$q8b@eff.org>
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x-eff_membership_queries_to: members...@eff.org
distribution: world
approved: edi...@eff.org
sender: m...@eff.org
followup-to: comp.org.eff.talk,alt.politics.datahighway,misc.legal.computing,
alt.privacy,alt.activism.d,alt.society.civil-liberty,alt.society.civil-liberties,
alt.bbs.allsysop
admin: b...@eff.org
errors-to: b...@eff.org
summary: 1) EFF Relocated to SF Bay Area; 2) ALERT: Companies, BBSs ACT NOW to
head off Net censorship; 3) Minor chages to EFFector format.
organization: Electronic Frontier Foundation
x-url: http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/
keywords: EFF,EFFector,activism,activist,Electronic Frontier Foundation,
Grassley bill,S.892,S 892,S892,Grassley,Cox/Wyden,Cox-Wyden,Cox,Wyden,Exon,
Leahy,Klink,Coates,HR1555,H.R. 1555,HR 1555,H.R.1555,S.652,S652,S 652 S. 652,
H.R. 1004,H.R.1004,HR 1004 HR1004,S.314,S 314, S314,H.R. 1978,HR 1978,H.R.1978,
HR1978,San Francisco,Bay Area,relocation,move,relocate
reply-to: edi...@eff.org
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alt.bbs.allsysop
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EFFector Online Volume 08 No. 15 Sept. 9, 1995 edit...@eff.org
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
IN THIS ISSUE:
EFF Relocation Update
Alert Update: Internet Censorship Legislation
EFFector Changes
Upcoming Events
Quote of the Day
What YOU Can Do
Administrivia
* See http://www.eff.org/Alerts/ or ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/ for more
information on current EFF activities and online activism alerts! *
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: EFF Relocation Update
------------------------------
EFF has relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, in California.
Contact information:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
PO Box 170190
San Francisco CA 94117 USA
[*Postal mail only* Contact us via phone for an address to use for
FedEx and UPS shipping.]
+1 415 668 7171 (voice, general office; Calif.)
+1 415 668 7007 (fax, general office; Calif.)
+1 510 548 3290 (voice, Mike Godwin, Staff Counsel; Calif.)
+1 301 375 8856 (voice, Shari Steele, Staff Counsel; DC/VA/MD area.)
We apologize for any downtime or net troubles users of our sites may have
experienced, and for delays in turn-around time on information requests
and membership applications. We're working on catching up with the
several weeks worth of backlog incurred during our transition time.
Though we are now back up and running full-time and full-on, we do not
yet have permanent office space. When this last piece of the puzzle is
resolved, we'll inform everyone of the change again.
Nothing serious appears to have occurred during our downtime (Congress
being in recess probably had a lot to do with that...)
Thanks to our members and the online community for your continued support
and action!
------------------------------
Subject: Alert Update: Internet Censorship Legislation
------------------------------------------------------
CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE EXON/COATS COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
(SEE THE LIST OF CAMPAIGN COALITION MEMBERS AT THE END)
Update: -Latest News:
House/Senate Conference committee considering
several pieces of legislation related to
restricting the Internet
-What You Can Do Now:
Put your business or bulletin board on record
as supporting free speech and opposing censorship
for cyberspace!
CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
August 26, 1995
PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT
REDISTRIBUTE ONLY UNTIL September 25, 1995
REPRODUCE THIS ALERT ONLY IN RELEVANT FORUMS
Distributed by the Voters Telecommunications Watch (v...@vtw.org)
________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
The Latest News
What You Can Do Now
Letter for electronic businesses and bulletin boards
Letter for professional organizations and non-profits
Chronology of the CDA
For More Information
List Of Participating Organizations
________________________________________________________________________
THE LATEST NEWS
The House and Senate have passed a total of four different pieces of
legislation aimed at dealing with children's access to information on
the Internet.
Each of the four was profiled in BillWatch #13 which you can retrieve
from URL:http://www.vtw.org/billwatch/issue.13.html. Here are the four
pieces of legislation and a short summary of each of them.
HR1978: "Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment Act" (Cox/Wyden) This
bill takes the approach of encouraging industry to provide parents with
tools to restrict their childrens' access to the net. It contains no
new criminal provisions. This approach was affirmed by the House
421-4 on August 4, 1995. (Yes, that's a landslide)
S314: "The Communications Decency Act" (Exon/Coats) This bill makes
many types of constitutionally-protected speech (including lewd,
lascivious, and indecent speech) criminal when used through a
telecommunications device. This provision was affirmed by the Senate
84-16 on June 14, 1995.
House amendment to HR1555: "Child Protection, User Empowerment, and
Free Expression in Interactive Media Study Act" (Klink/Leahy) This bill
directs the Department of Justice to study and see if there are places
in current law where existing obscenity laws are unenforcible on computer
networks. This approach was affirmed by a committee voice vote.
House amendment to HR1555: <unnamed> This amendment was submitted at
the last minute through the Manager's Mark, a collection of several
amendments to HR1555 that were voted on as a block. This amendment
takes constitutionally-protected speech and criminalizes it when it is
expressed online. Most legislators had no idea that they voted on this
last amendment; the summary of the Manager's Mark did not mention
these new criminal provisions. There was no applicable House vote on
*just this* provision.
The House-Senate conference committee now has the task of deciding
which of these are allowed into the final Telecommunications Deregulation
bill for the last floor vote.
________________________________________________________________________
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
1. It's crucial that we tell Congress how their decision in the conference
committee will affect businesses and bulletin boards in cyberspace.
Read the electronic business and bulletin board letter below. You
can also find it at:
Gopher: gopher -p1/vtw/exon gopher.panix.com
WWW URL: http://www.vtw.org/cdaletter/
Email : Send mail to fi...@vtw.org with "send cdaletter" in the
subject line.
2. If you work for a business that uses bulletin boards or public networks,
convince the owners to sign onto the letter. Companies that should sign
this include Internet service providers, Web designers (big and small),
Internet consultants and trainers, Internet restaurants and bars,
software companies that develop Internet-related software, companies
that advertise or publish through the Internet or bulletin boards, writers
who publish through the Internet, and many others!
If you belong to a bulletin board, ask the sysop if he or she will sign
onto the letter.
3. Ask the BBS sysop or the business owner to mail in the following
information to v...@vtw.org:
Business name
Owner or officer name
Address
Email address
Phone number
Description of business and anything else relevant
Here's an example:
$ Mail v...@vtw.org
My business would like to signon to the business and bbs letter.
We are:
Ed's Xcellent Online Node (EXON)
J.J. Exon, Owner
2323 Decency Road, Nebraska 10000-0000
(402) 555-1212
j...@exon.net
Ed's Xcellent Online Node is based in Nebraska and provides Internet
service to many thoughtful and free-speech loving Nebraskans.
We provide Internet access to over 1,500 residents and 400
businesses. We employ 35 full time employees.
-James
^D
Mail sent!
$
If you have questions about the BBS and business letter and are in the
states of NY, OH, FL, TN, CA, NJ, OR, or NH, contact one of the people
below. Each of them has volunteered to coordinate the letter for their
state and they can answer your questions. You can also send your signon
directly to them. (anything for their state sent to v...@vtw.org will
be forwarded to them directly)
CA: jandr...@slip.net (John Andrews)
FL: apre...@tds.org (Aubrey Presha)
NH: d...@efnh.org (L. Daniel York)
NJ: s...@vtw.org (Steven Cherry)
NY: shab...@vtw.org (Shabbir J. Safdar)
OH: pstem...@erinet.com (Paul J. Ste. Marie)
OR: mnass...@ednet1.osl.or.gov (Mark C. Nasstrom)
TN: mddall...@msuvx2.memphis.edu (Mark Dallara)
4. If you don't subscribe to a BBS or have an affiliation with a business
that uses public networks, but belong to a professional organization
or an advocacy group, consider sending Congress the ACLU letter included
below with your local group's name on it. Simply replace the material
in parentheses with your own information.
5. Relax! You can save the world only one step at a time.
________________________________________________________________________
LETTER FOR ELECTRONIC BUSINESSES AND BULLETIN BOARDS
(Do not send this letter in. Simply follow the instructions at the top
for signing your business or bulletin board onto it.)
Dear member of Congress,
Laws restricting Internet speech, such as S314, the Exon/Coats
"Communications Decency Act" and the new Title 18 language in the
Managers Amendment to HR1555, will not help parents control their
children's access to objectionable material and will over-regulate
electronic businesses out of this growing industry.
These bills are currently in the Telecommunications Deregulation
conference right now, and we urge you to provide your input to the
conference committee to remove the criminal provisions mentioned
above from the final bill.
Recently the House addressed the issue of children accessing
controversial material in cyberspace. By affirming HR 1978 (the
Cox/Wyden Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment bill) they encouraged
workable and successful solutions to helping parents control their
children's access to the Internet while showing a concern for the First
Amendment.
Unfortunately Congress also passed two measures that do nothing to help
parents control their childrens' access to controversial material on
the Internet. S314, the Exon/Coats Communications Decency Act, and the
new additions to Title 18 of the US Code were drafted without an
understanding of the technology or the business that we engage in.
This legislation imposes regulations on business so grave that many of
us wonder if we will be able to stay in business.
The great advantages of modern electronic communications--and the
reason why we can stay in business delivering these communications--are
speed and openness. In short, the new media allow millions of people
to exchange information freely at speeds approaching that of light.
The bills we object to will force many sites to screen every message
that comes across, or to shut down access. We ourselves are at some
risk of violating the law, simply because we cannot police every page
that comes across our channels.
Should the laws proposing new regulations pass, the National Information
Infrastructure will be crippled, and many fewer organizations will be
willing to purchase our services.
Let it be understood that objectionable material is available to
children right now on sites outside the United States and will continue
to be available to children if these changes to the criminal code
pass. Legislation that attempts to criminalize such information will
do nothing to affect information that sits on foreign soil, far from
the reach of US laws.
What will help parents control their children's access to the Internet
is "parental control" tools and features, such as those provided by
several major online services and available as over-the-counter
software. Unlike many other parental schemes, these solutions are here
today. No one had to mandate them, they appeared because parent
consumers asked for them. A list of them is attached for your
information.
Once again, we urge you to express your opinion to the conference
committee. The Telecommunications Deregulation bill that comes back to
the floor for a vote should contain HR1978 and exclude S314 and the new
Title 18 language from the HR1555 Managers Amendment.
Respectfully submitted,
<your name and business>
______________________________________________________________________________
LETTER FOR PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND NON-PROFITS
(If you want your organization to signon to this letter below, simply print
it out and sign it. This letter is not being centrally coordinated.)
Dear Member of Congress,
The undersigned represent a diverse coalition of [state] organizations and
associations based in [state] that are dedicated to free speech and privacy
values. We write today to express our strong opposition to online
censorship legislation. In addition to being unconstitutional, online
censorship legislation will unnecessarily stifle a promising new
communications medium -- cyberspace. We urge you to oppose any effort to
censor online communications in violation of the First Amendment or to
impose a federal regulatory scheme on online content.
As you know, the House and Senate have now passed two different
telecommunications deregulation bills (S 652 and HR 1555) that contain two
different versions of online speech crimes legislation. Both versions pose
a severe threat to the First Amendment and to online services because they
impose significant criminal penalties for the online transmission of
"indecency." Indecent speech, unlike obscenity, is fully protected by the
First Amendment.
The Senate version (Senator Exon's "Communications Decency Act") inserts
new speech crimes into the communications section of the federal code and
puts the FCC in charge of online content. The House version (passed as
part of the larger Managers Amendment to HR 1555) amends the obscenity
provisions of the criminal code to outlaw indecent speech over online
networks. This fall, a conference committee will consider the differences
between the two telecommunications bills. We urge you to provide your
input to the conference committee to remove these speech crimes provisions
from the final version of the telecommunications bill.
We believe it is important to emphasize -- and to promote -- the remarkable
capabilities of interactive technologies. Cyberspace is probably the
richest source of creative, diverse, empowering, and democratizing
communication ever to connect people statewide, nationwide, and globally.
It is perhaps the world's first true "mass media" because it allows anyone
with a few simple tools to communicate their ideas to thousands of persons
at once. It inspires tolerance and promotes mutual understanding by
connecting people of all ilk around the world. Its vast databases, created
by the nation's finest universities, libraries, civic organizations and
industries, provide an invaluable educational resource. It is a tool for
community organizing and citizen involvement.
[People from state] -- like other citizens around the globe -- are going
online in record numbers, both at home and at work. Interactive
communications have created a wealth of [state] business opportunities, for
established businesses and for entrepreneurs. [State] libraries and
universities continue to contribute valuable databases to the Internet, and
to serve as log-in stations for people who don't have computers at home.
The world-renowned [state] arts community is using online networks as a
powerful new creative tool and as a new way to reach audiences outside of
[state].
All the innovation and citizen empowerment inspired by online
communications, in [state] and around the world, is threatened by online
censorship legislation.
To advance the truly amazing accomplishments of interactive technology, the
undersigned organizations believe that any legislation that affects the
emerging online environment must:
EMPOWER USERS -- INCLUDING PARENTS -- TO MAKE PERSONAL DECISIONS ABOUT
ONLINE CONTENT.
The right to decide what children should see and hear is uniquely personal
to the family -- government should have no role in dictating such personal
and private matters. User-controlled screening programs provide
alternative ways to protect access by children to certain material without
infringing on the free speech rights of adults.
PROTECT THE FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS OF ALL AMERICANS.
Any effort to establish federal control over constitutionally protected
speech must be opposed outright. It is especially inappropriate to
restrict adult content in order to protect children when less restrictive
methods are available.
SAFEGUARD PRIVACY IN ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS.
Neither private companies nor local law enforcement officials should be
given carte blanche to read private e-mail or to create transactional
records of the habits of online users.
PRESERVE A DEMOCRATIC, DECENTRALIZED NET.
The online industry has blossomed without government control over content.
Allowing the FCC or any other government agency to determine appropriate
content would stifle the diversity and flow of online speech and virtually
destroy the promise of the Net.
Conclusion
We ask that you oppose any legislation that fails to adhere to the above
principles. In the words of House Speaker Newt Gingrich who spoke out
against the Communications Decency Act, "It is clearly a violation of free
speech and it's a violation of the right of adults to communicate with each
other." Online communications continue to empower [state] citizens and to
stimulate [state] business. We hope you will support this progress by
urging the conference committee to remove any online censorship provisions
from the final version of the telecommunications bill.
Sincerely,
[list of organizations, with addresses]
________________________________________________________________________
CHRONOLOGY OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
Aug 4, '95 House passes HR1555 which goes into conference with S652.
Aug 4, '95 House votes to attach Managers Amendment (which contains
new criminal penalties for speech online) to
Telecommunications Reform bill (HR1555).
Aug 4, '95 House votes 421-4 to attach HR1978 to Telecommunications
Reform bill (HR1555).
Jun 30, '95 Cox and Wyden introduce the "Internet Freedom and Family
Empowerment Act" (HR 1978) as an alternative to the CDA.
Jun 21, '95 Several prominent House members publicly announce their
opposition to the CDA, including Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA),
Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), and Rep. Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Jun 14, '95 The Senate passes the CDA as attached to the Telecomm
reform bill (S 652) by a vote of 84-16. The Leahy bill
(S 714) is not passed.
May 24, '95 The House Telecomm Reform bill (HR 1555) leaves committee
in the House with the Leahy alternative attached to it,
thanks to Rep. Ron Klink of (D-PA). The Communications
Decency Act is not attached to it.
Apr 7, '95 Sen. Leahy (D-VT) introduces S.714, an alternative to
the Exon/Gorton bill, which commissions the Dept. of
Justice to study the problem to see if additional legislation
(such as the CDA) is necessary.
Mar 23, '95 S314 amended and attached to the telecommunications reform
bill by Sen. Gorton (R-WA). Language provides some provider
protection, but continues to infringe upon email privacy
and free speech.
Feb 21, '95 HR1004 referred to the House Commerce and Judiciary committees
Feb 21, '95 HR1004 introduced by Rep. Johnson (D-SD)
Feb 1, '95 S314 referred to the Senate Commerce committee
Feb 1, '95 S314 introduced by Sen. Exon (D-NE) and Gorton (R-WA).
________________________________________________________________________
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Web Sites
URL:http://www.vtw.org/exon/
URL:http://epic.org/
URL:http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/
URL:http://www.cdt.org/cda.html
URL:http://outpost.callnet.com/outpost.html
FTP Archives
URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/policy/freespeech/00-INDEX.FREESPEECH
URL:ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/Alerts/
Gopher Archives:
URL:gopher://gopher.panix.com/11/vtw/exon
URL:gopher://gopher.eff.org/11/Alerts
Email:
v...@vtw.org (put "send alert" in the subject line for the latest
alert, or "send cdafaq" for the CDA FAQ)
cda-i...@cdt.org (General CDA information)
cda-s...@cdt.org (Current status of the CDA)
________________________________________________________________________
LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have
joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the
Communications Decency Act.
American Communication Association * American Council for the Arts *
Arts & Technology Society * Association of Alternative Newsweeklies *
biancaTroll productions * Boston Coalition for Freedom of Expression *
Californians Against Censorship Together * Center For Democracy And
Technology * Centre for Democratic Communications * Center for Public
Representation * Citizen's Voice - New Zealand * Cloud 9 Internet
*Computer Communicators Association * Computel Network Services *
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility * Cross Connection *
Cyber-Rights Campaign * CyberQueer Lounge * Dutch Digital Citizens'
Movement * ECHO Communications Group, Inc. * Electronic Frontier Canada
* Electronic Frontier Foundation * Electronic Frontier Foundation -
Austin * Electronic Frontiers Australia * Electronic Frontiers Houston
* Electronic Frontiers New Hampshire * Electronic Privacy Information
Center * Feminists For Free Expression * First Amendment Teach-In *
Florida Coalition Against Censorship * FranceCom, Inc. Web Advertising
Services * Friendly Anti-Censorship Taskforce for Students * Hands
Off! The Net * Human Rights Watch * Inland Book Company * Inner Circle
Technologies, Inc. * Inst. for Global Communications * Internet
On-Ramp, Inc. * Internet Users Consortium * Joint Artists' and Music
Promotions Political Action Committee * The Libertarian Party *
Marijuana Policy Project * Metropolitan Data Networks Ltd. * MindVox *
MN Grassroots Party * National Bicycle Greenway * National Campaign for
Freedom of Expression * National Coalition Against Censorship *
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force * National Public Telecomputing
Network * National Writers Union * Oregon Coast RISC * Panix Public
Access Internet * People for the American Way * Republican Liberty
Caucus * Rock Out Censorship * Society for Electronic Access * The
Thing International BBS Network * The WELL * Voters Telecommunications
Watch
(Note: All 'Electronic Frontier' organizations are independent entities,
not EFF chapters or divisions.)
________________________________________________________________________
End Alert
------------------------------
Subject: EFFector Changes
-------------------------
Starting with this issue, the long calendar of events that might interest
EFF members and EFFector readers is being replaced with a much shorter
list of events more directly EFF-related. We hope this will help keep
down the size of the newsletter.
------------------------------
Subject: Upcoming events
------------------------
This schedule lists events that are directly EFF-related. A much more
detailed calendar of events likely to be of interest to our members and
supporters is maintained at:
ftp: ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/calendar.eff
gopher: gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF, calendar.eff
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/calendar.eff
Sep. 14-
15 * 2nd Ann. Business & Legal Aspects of the Internet & Online Services
Seminar; Park Central Hotel, New York City, NY. Speakers include:
Mike Godwin (EFF), Anne Branscomb (Harvard U.), Dan L. Burk (Seton
Hall U.), Steward Baker (Steptoe & Johnson, ex-NSA), Jan
Constantine (Delphi), Andrea Ireland (MCI), Joseph Lamport (_Law_
_Journal_EXTRA!_), Bennett Lincoff (ASCAP), Vance Opperman (West
Pub.), David G. Post (Georgetown U., & EFF Policy Fellow), William
Schneck (Prodigy), Margaret Seif (AT&T Interchange Network), Kent
Stuckey (CompuServe), David Witus (Microsoft).
Contact: 1 800 888 8300 ext. 611 (voice, US-only),
+1 212 545 6111 (voice), +1 212 696 1517 (fax)
Email: semin...@ljextra.com
Sep. 19-
21 * Online Developers Conf. II: Blueprints for the Post-Web World;
San Francisco, Calif. Speakers include: Robert Massey (CompuServe),
Russell Siegelman (Microsoft Network), Ed Bennet (Prodigy),
Ted Leonsis (AOL), Michael Kolowich (AT&T Interchange), Don
Brazeal (_Digital_Ink_), Ellio Dahan (Compton's New Media),
Richard Barth (Microsoft), James Gosling (Sun, chief architect of
JAVA), Tim Gelinas (Spry/CIS-Seattle), E. David Ellington
(NetNoir), Phil Monego (Yahoo), Charles Martin (_Interactive_Age_),
Scott Kurnit (MCI), Andrew Anker (_Wired_, HotWired), Bruce Katz
(the WELL), Tracy Erway (Intel), Patrick Ames (Adobe Pr.), Tony
Christopher (Fujitsu), Dan Ambrosi (Silicon Graphics), Rob Glaser
(EFF Board of Directors, Progressive Networks, RealAudio), Joe
Dunn (Macromedia), Bruce Ravenel (TCI), and several others.
Contact: 1 800 488 4345 (voice, US-only) or +1 212 780 6060 (voice)
+1 212 780 6075 (fax)
Email: jupi...@jup.com
Sep. 20 * The Future of the Internet: Realizing Its Potential; Penn Club,
New York City. Presentation by EFF Board Member David Farber.
Admission free, reserve a spot via the phone number below.
Contact: +1 212 403 6620 (voice)
Sep. 21 * Pittsburgh Law School Second Century Conferenc; University of
Pittsburgh. Speakers include EFF co-founder Mitch Kapor
(presentation on "Regulation of Computing and Information
Technology")
Contact: Prof. Pamela Samuelson, +1 412 648 1389 (voice)
Sep. 29 * Software Publishers Association 11th Annual Conference;
Westin Hotel Copley Place, Boston, Mass. Speakers include
EFF co-founder Mitch Kapor (presentation on "A Fresh Look at
The Future of Intellectual Property in a Networked World")
Contact: +1 202 452 1600 ext. 328 (voice)
Oct. 10-
11 * US NII Advisory Council meeting; Pittsburgh, Penn. Open to the
public; members of this civilian council include EFF board members
Esther Dyson and David Johnson.
Contact: +1 212 482 1835 (voice)
Oct. 13 * Seminar on Forecasting the Technological Future in
Information Systems; Annenberg School of Communication Public
Policy Center, U. of Pennsylvania. Speakers include EFF
co-founder Mitch Kapor.
Contact: +1 215 898 7041 (voice; ask for Oscar Gandy)
Oct. 19 * Library Fair 95: Information Access at the Smithsonian Institution
Libraries; Smithsonian Ripley Center, Washington DC. Speakers
include Shari Steele (EFF Staff Counsel)
Email: libem...@sivm.si.edu
Nov. 3-
4 * Innovation and the Information Environment Conf.; U. of Oregon
School of Law, Eugene, Or. Speakers include Shari Steele (EFF
Staff Counsel).
Email: ka...@law.uoregon.edu
------------------------------
Subject: Quote of the Day
-------------------------
"Our problems are not new. We must not sign away our freedom and our reason
to make things even easier for the [politicians]. The only cure for bad
information is better information. You are in charge now; use your power
wisely."
- Jon Carroll, "I Have Met the Enemy. I Have Bad News", _San_Francisco_
_Chronicle_, June 29, 1995.
Find yourself wondering if your privacy and freedom of speech are safe
when bills to censor the Internet are swimming about in a sea of of
surveillance legislation and anti-terrorism hysteria? Worried that in
the rush to make us secure from ourselves that our government
representatives may deprive us of our essential civil liberties?
Concerned that legislative efforts nominally to "protect children" will
actually censor all communications down to only content suitable for
the playground?
Join EFF!
Even if you don't live in the U.S., the anti-Internet hysteria will soon
be visiting a legislative body near you. If it hasn't already.
------------------------------
Subject: What YOU Can Do
------------------------
* The Communications Decency Act & Other Censorship Legislation
The Communications Decency Act and similar legislation pose serious
threats to freedom of expression online, and to the livelihoods of system
operators. The legislation also undermines several crucial privacy
protections.
Business/industry persons concerned should alert their corporate govt.
affairs office and/or legal counsel. Everyone should write to their own
Representatives and Senators, asking them to oppose Internet censorship
legislation, and (when the list is available) everyone should write to
the conference committee members to support the reasonable approaches of
Leahy, Klink, Cox and Wyden, and to oppose the unconstitutional proposals of
Exon, Gorton and others.
For more information on what you can do to help stop this and other
dangerous legislation, see:
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/
gopher.eff.org, 1/Alerts
http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/
If you do not have full internet access, send your request
for information to a...@eff.org.
* The Anti-Electronic Racketeering Act
This bill is unlikely to pass in any form, being very poorly drafted, and
without much support. However, the CDA is just as bad and passed with
flying colors [the jolly roger?] in the Senate. It's better to be safe
than sorry. If you have a few moments to spare, writing to, faxing, or
calling your Congresspersons to urge opposition to this bill is a good
idea. If you only have time to do limited activism, please concentrate
on the CDA instead. That legislation is far more imminent that the AERA.
* Find Out Who Your Congresspersons Are
Writing letters to, faxing, and phoning your representatives in Congress
is one very important strategy of activism, and an essential way of
making sure YOUR voice is heard on vital issues.
EFF has lists of the Senate and House with contact information, as well
as lists of Congressional committees. (A House list is included in this
issue of EFFector). These lists are available at:
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Activism/Congress_cmtes/
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Issues/Activism/Congress_cmtes
http://www.eff.org/pub/Activism/Congress_cmtes/
The full Senate and House lists are senate.list and hr.list, respectively.
Those not in the U.S. should seek out similar information about their
own legislative bodies. EFF will be happy to archive any such
information provided.
If you are having difficulty determining who your Representatives are,
try contacting your local League of Women Voters, who maintain a great
deal of legislative information.
* Join EFF!
You *know* privacy, freedom of speech and ability to make your voice heard
in government are important. You have probably participated in our online
campaigns and forums. Have you become a member of EFF yet? The best way to
protect your online rights is to be fully informed and to make your
opinions heard. EFF members are informed and are making a difference. Join
EFF today!
For EFF membership info, send queries to members...@eff.org, or send any
message to i...@eff.org for basic EFF info, and a membership form.
------------------------------
Administrivia
=============
EFFector Online is published by:
The Electronic Frontier Foundation
1667 K St. NW, Suite 801
Washington DC 20006-1605 USA
+1 202 861 7700 (voice)
+1 202 861 1258 (fax)
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Membership & donations: members...@eff.org
Legal services: sste...@eff.org
Hardcopy publications: p...@eff.org
General EFF, legal, policy or online resources queries: a...@eff.org
Editor:
Stanton McCandlish, Online Services Mgr./Activist/Archivist (m...@eff.org)
This newsletter printed on 100% recycled electrons.
Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed
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To get the latest issue, send any message to effector-reflec...@eff.org (or
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at EFFweb. HTML editions of the current issue sometimes take a day or
longer to prepare.
------------------------------
End of EFFector Online v08 #15 Digest
*************************************
$$
--
<A HREF="http://www.eff.org/~mech/"> Stanton McCandlish
</A><HR><A HREF="mailto:m...@eff.org"> m...@eff.org
</A><P><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/"> Electronic Frontier Foundation
</A><P><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/1.html"> Online Services Mgr. </A>