1996-02-26
Craig A. Johnson
Sorry for the repetitive information, but this is the CDT's official
"Policy Post," and lists contact names, etc.
--caj
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Date: Mon, 26 Feb 1996 10:24:08 -0500
From: •••@••.••• (Bob Palacios)
Subject: Policy Post 2.7 - Coalition Challenges CDA, Net Users Join Fight!
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____/____/__/ The Center for Democracy and Technology /____/
Volume 2, Number 7
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A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties
online
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CDT POLICY POST Volume 2, Number 7 February
26, 1996
CONTENTS: (1) Broad Coalition Challenges CDA in Court
* Individual Internet Users Invited to Join Landmark
Case * Pointers to Additional Information
(2) New CDT Sysop/Online Presence
(3) Subscription Information
(4) About CDT, contacting us
** This document may be redistributed freely with this banner in
tact **
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(1) BROAD COALITION CHALLENGES INTERNET CENSORSHIP BILL IN COURT
A coalition representing a broad spectrum of Internet users,
publishers, content providers and access providers filed a lawsuit
today (2/26/96) in a Federal Court in Philadelphia, PA seeking to
overturn the recently enacted Communications Decency Act. The
challenge will argue that the Internet is a unique communications
technology which deserves First Amendment protections at least as
broad as those enjoyed as by the print medium.
The group, known as the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC
- pronounced "seek") is coordinated by the Center for Democracy and
Technology, America Online, and the American Library Association, and
others, including People for the American Way. Its 35 members include
libraries, book publishers, newspaper publishers, editors,
advertisers, commercial online service providers, ISP's, non-profit
groups, and civil liberties advocates.
Individual Internet users are also invited to join the CIEC in the
fight to protect free speech online (see instructions below).
In addition to CIEC, named plaintiffs in the challenge include the
American Library Association, America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy,
Microsoft, NETCOM, The Commercial Internet eXchange,the National
Newspaper Association, the American Booksellers Association, HotWired
and Wired Magazine, and others (a complete list of plaintiffs and CIEC
members is printed below).
EDUCATING THE COURT ON THE NATURE OF THE INTERNET AND ALTERNATIVES TO
CENSORSHIP
In a 55 page complaint that details the history of the Internet and
outlines how the network operates, the CIEC intends to educate the
court on how the Internet functions and why the broad content
regulations imposed by the CDA threaten the very existence of the
Internet as a viable medium for free expression, education, and
commerce. Among other things, the CIEC challenge argues that:
* The Internet is a unique communications medium which deserves First
Amendment protections at least as broad as those afforded to print
media.
* Individual users and parents, not the Federal Government, should
determine for themselves and their children what material
comes into their homes based on their own tastes and values.
* The CDA will be ineffective at protecting children from "indecent"
or
"patently" offensive material online.
The full text of the CIEC complaint, along with other relevant
background information, and information on how you can participate in
this landmark case, can be found on the CIEC World Wide Web Page:
http://www.cdt.org/ciec/
The CIEC challenge is separate from the case brought by the ACLU, EFF,
EPIC, Planned Parenthood, and several other plaintiffs in the same
Philadelphia court on February 8, 1996. The ACLU effort has made
significant and important headway in the past several weeks. The CIEC
case will reinforce the ACLU's efforts while focusing on the unique
nature of the Internet and alternatives to government content
regulations. ACLU and CIEC attorneys are closely coordinating their
efforts, and it is expected that the courts will eventually
consolidate the two cases.
The outcome of the legal challenges to the CDA will likely determine
the legal status of speech on the Internet and the future of the First
Amendment in the Information Age.
INDIVIDUAL INTERNET USERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO JOIN THE FIGHT
CIEC is inviting individual Internet users to join this landmark case
to help protect freedom of speech and the future of the Internet as a
viable means of free expression, education, and commerce.
If you post messages to a public listserv, Usenet newsgroup,
participate in an IRC or chat session, or maintain your own World Wide
Web page, ftp or gopher archive, you could potentially face $250,000
fines or 2 years in jail if someone, somewhere considers the material
you post to be "indecent" or "patently offensive"
To find out how you can join the fight to protect free expression and
the future of the Internet, please visit the CIEC web page.
http://www.cdt.org/ciec/
Individuals have until March 15 to join the CIEC. Unfortunately, due
to logistic issues and other considerations, requests to join the
coalition by email cannot be processed.
CIEC COALITION MEMBERS AND PLAINTIFFS
The Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition is a large and diverse
group of Internet users, businesses, non-profit groups, and civil
liberties advocates who share the common goals of protecting the First
Amendment and the viability of the Internet as a means of free
expression, education, and commerce. CIEC members believe that
parents, not the United States Government, are the best and most
appropriate judges of what material is appropriate for themselves and
their children.
NAMED PLAINTIFFS IN THE CHALLENGE
American Library Association
America Online, Inc.
American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Association of American Publishers
Association of Publishers, Editors and Writers
Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition
Commercial Internet eXchange
Compuserve Information Services, Inc.
Families Against Internet Censorship
Freedom to Read Foundation
HotWired Ventures Ltd.
Interactive Digital Software Association
Interactive Services Association
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Network
NETCOM On-line Communications Services, Inc.
Newspaper Association of America
Prodigy Services Company, Inc.
Society of Professional Journalists
Wired Ventures Ltd.
OTHER MEMBERS OF THE CITIZENS INTERNET EMPOWERMENT COALITION. CIEC IS
ALSO A NAMED PLAINTIFF IN THE CASE
Americans for Tax Reform
Association of American University Presses, Inc.
Association of National Advertisers
Association of Research Librarians
Center for Democracy and Technology
Coalition for Networked Information
Media Access Project
Media Institute
Microsystems Software, Inc.
National Assoc. of State Universities & Land Grant Colleges
People for the American Way
Recording Industry Association of America
Special Libraries Association
Surfwatch Software, Inc.
University of California Santa Barbara Library
And YOU! (see http://www.cdt.org/ciec/)
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information on the CIEC challenge, including the text of the
complaint and information on how you can join the CIEC:
* CIEC World Wide Web Page: http://www.cdt.org/ciec/
•••@••.•••
* Background Info on the CDA: http://www.cdt.org/cda.html
•••@••.•••
•••@••.•••
Contacts:
Center for Democracy and Technology: (v) +1.202.637.9800
Jerry Berman, Executive Director <•••@••.•••>
Daniel Weitzner, Deputy Director <•••@••.•••>
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(2) NEW CDT SYSOP/ONLINE PRESENCE -- BOB PALACIOS <•••@••.•••>
CDT welcomes Bob Palacios, as our new sysop/net-presence. Bob comes to
CDT from People for the American Way where he was systems
administrator/webmaster.
Jonah Seiger, CDT's Policy Analyst, who has been moonlighting as
sysop, will be shifting his attention to concentrate full time on
policy work. Jonah will continue to maintain a high visibility on the
net and will continue to work on online organizing and net.campaigns,
but his focus will be on strategic and tactical issues while Bob will
handle the technical and day to day details.
Bob's immediate role will be to manage and maintain our online
presence, maintain our World Wide Web and ftp servers, cultivate new
outlets for CDT on the net, develop relationships with other, untapped
friendly online organizations and individuals to enhance our online
grass roots efforts.
Please feel free to drop Bob a note to say hello <•••@••.•••>.
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(3) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
Be sure you are up to date on the latest public policy issues
affecting civil liberties online and how they will affect you!
Subscribe to the CDT Policy Post news distribution list. CDT Policy
Posts, the regular news publication of the Center For Democracy and
Technology, are received by more than 9,000 Internet users, industry
leaders, policy makers and activists, and have become the leading
source for information about critical free speech and privacy issues
affecting the Internet and other interactive communications media.
To subscribe to CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to
•••@••.•••
with a subject:
subscribe policy-posts
If you ever wish to remove yourself from the list, send mail to the
above address with a subject of:
unsubscribe policy-posts
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(4) ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY/CONTACTING US
The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public
interest organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is
to develop and advocate public policies that advance democratic values
and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications
technologies.
Contacting us:
General information: •••@••.•••
World Wide Web: URL:http://www.cdt.org/
FTP URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/
Snail Mail: The Center for Democracy and Technology
1634 Eye Street NW * Suite 1100 * Washington, DC 20006
(v) +1.202.637.9800 * (f) +1.202.637.0968
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End Policy Post 2.7 2/26/96
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