EFFector Vol. 14, No. 6 Apr. 2[*], 2001 editor@eff.org
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424
SPECIAL INTERNET BLOCKING / CENSORWARE ISSUE
IN THE 166th ISSUE OF EFFECTOR (now with over 27,300 subscribers!):
* ALERT: EFF Calls for CHIPA Censorware Law Protests
* EFF & ACLU Take on Library Internet Blocking Law in Court
* EFF Sponsors BayFF Forum on Internet Blocking and Community
Response
* Joint Statement Opposing School & Library Internet Blocking
Requirements
* EFF Seeks Intern for Online Free Expression Campaign
* EFF Proposes Study of Real-Life Internet Blocking Use in Schools
and Libraries
* "The Internet is a Terrible Thing to Waste" - Get Involved in
Stopping Censorware!
* ERRATA: Correction to Medical Privacy Alert, EFFector 14.05
* Administrivia
For more information on EFF activities & alerts: http://www.eff.org
_________________________________________________________________
ALERT: EFF Calls for CHIPA Censorware Law Protests
Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Advisory, April 2, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 2, 2001
EFF Calls for Nationwide Protests to Counter CHIPA Internet Blocking
Legislation
Call to Action for Protests at FCC Offices, Libraries, and Blocking
Companies
Contacts:
Will Doherty, Online Activist / Media Relations,
wild@eff.org, 415-436-9333
Katina Bishop, Offline Activist,
katina@eff.org, 415-436-9333 x101
April 2, 2001 -- The Electronic Frontier Foundation today issued a
call to action for nationwide protests on Friday, April 20, 2001,
opposing implementation of Congressionally-mandated Internet blocking
in schools and libraries. The protests will take place at Federal
Communications Commission offices, other federal offices, libraries,
and Internet blocking companies, as well as in "blackouts" of websites
in support of the protest.
Local organizers interested in protesting Internet blocking are
invited to contact EFF to co-sponsor nonviolent protests, to obtain an
Internet blocking protest kit, and for help in publicizing the
protests.
"The government-mandated requirement for Internet blocking in schools
and libraries violates the free expression rights of American, adults
and minors alike," explained Will Doherty, EFF Online Activist. "We
must protest Congressionally-mandated Internet blocking because it
censors Constitutionally-protected materials, stunts the intellectual
growth of American children, and weighs unfairly on disadvantaged and
'controversial' communities."
Internet blocking technologies underblock what they are supposed to
block and overblock what they are not supposed to block. They rely on
subjective control from software product companies many of whom
exhibit clear political and religious biases, rather than relying on
local communities to decide for themselves. The products are
error-prone, vulnerable, problematic, and unfairly discriminatory,
denying access to constitutionally protected and educationally
important materials that schools and libraries would otherwise
provide. Government-mandated censorship does not solve problems better
handled through local decision making and educational efforts.
Some protests will take place at offices of the Federal Communications
Commission because it is the agency tasked by Congress with
enforcement of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CHIPA a.k.a.
CIPA) blocking law.
EFF, along with co-sponsors such as the Online Policy Group
( http://www.onlinepolicy.org ), called the protests to demonstrate
the widespread public opposition to use of Internet blocking in
schools and libraries.
The San Francisco Bay Area protest will take place at 1200 noon on
Friday, April 20, in front of the FCC office at 5653 Stoneridge Drive,
Suite 105, Pleasanton, California 94588 (accessible by
Dublin/Pleasanton BART).
More information on the Internet blocking protests will be available
on the EFF website at:
http://www.eff.org/br/br1.html
The Electronic Frontier Foundation ( http://www.eff.org ) is the
leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges
industry and government to support free expression, privacy, and
openness in the information society. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most-linked-to websites in the
world.
- end -
_________________________________________________________________
EFF & ACLU Take on Library Internet Blocking Law in Court
Electronic Frontier Foundation Media Release, April 2, 2001
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 2, 2001
EFF & ACLU Take on Library Internet Blocking Law in Court
Contacts:
Lee Tien, Senior Staff Attorney, tien@eff.org, 415-436-9333 x102
Will Doherty, Online Activist / Media Relations, wild@eff.org,
415-436-9333
On March 20, 2001, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) joined the
ACLU and other organizations in challenging new federal law requiring
Internet blocking in schools and libraries participating in certain
federal programs. Framed on free speech grounds, the lawsuit seeks to
prevent Congress from requiring libraries to censor constitutionally
protected speech under the Children's Internet Protection Act (CHIPA).
EFF Senior Staff Attorney and CHIPA case co-counsel Lee Tien said,
"EFF believes that Internet blocking in libraries violates the First
Amendment not only by unnecessarily restricting the rights of adult
library patrons, but also by depriving child library patrons of online
access to information that they need to be fully informed citizens."
Tien noted that U.S. Circuit Judge Richard Posner recently warned of
"the danger of allowing government to control the access of children
to information and opinion. Now that eighteen-year-olds have the right
to vote, it is obvious that they must be allowed the freedom to form
their political views on the basis of uncensored speech before they
turn eighteen, so that their minds are not a blank when they first
exercise the franchise."
In addition to library patrons, the litigation also broadly addresses
the rights of librarians and website owners who will be adversely
affected by the law, including public libraries from Portland, Oregon,
to Portland, Maine; Congressional candidates whose websites were
blocked; PlanetOut.com, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender
community site; and the Planned Parenthood Federation.
EFF's participation in this case also reflects its members' commitment
to free speech; James Geringer, one of the individual library patron
plaintiffs, is an EFF member.
The legal challenge was filed at the U.S. District Court in
Philadelphia, which previously ruled on the Communications Decency Act
and the Child Online Protection Act. Participants in the litigation
include the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the American Civil
Liberties Union, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the law
firm Proskauer Rose, and Tom Sponsler, an attorney from Multnomah
County, Oregon.
The American Library Association (ALA), along with a number of local
library associations, also filed a legal challenge to CHIPA on March
20, 2001, in the U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.
Each case challenges both CHIPA itself, and the closely related (and
strangely named) Neighborhood Chldren's Internet Protection Act
(NCIPA), passed as part of the same legislative package.
More information on the ACLU case is available on the EFF website at:
http://eff.org/Cases/Multnomah_Library_v_US/20010320_aclu_chipa_suit_pr.html
More information on the ALA case is available on the EFF website at:
http://eff.org/Cases/ALA_v_US/20010320_ala_cipa_suit_pr.html
The Electronic Frontier Foundation ( http://www.eff.org ) is the
leading civil liberties organization working to protect rights in the
digital world. Founded in 1990, EFF actively encourages and challenges
industry and government to support free expression, privacy, and
openness in the information society. EFF is a member-supported
organization and maintains one of the most-linked-to websites in the
world.
- end -
_________________________________________________________________
EFF Sponsors BayFF Forum on Internet Blocking and Community Response
Mark Your Calendars for BayFF on Sunday, May 6!!
Join EFF in a Panel Discussion on Censorware in Schools and Libraries
WHAT: "BayFF" Panel Discussion on Internet Blocking in Schools and
Libraries - Law, Litigation, and Community Response
WHEN: Sunday May 6th, 2001, at 200 PM Pacific Time
WHERE: San Francisco Public Library
Room: Koret Auditorium
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: +1 415-557-4400
This event is free and open to the general public. The Electronic
Frontier Foundation ( http://www.eff.org ) is the leading civil
liberties organization working to protect rights in the digital world.
This event is sponsored by:
* Electronic Frontier Foundation
* James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center
* Friends and Foundation of the San Francisco Public Library
* Online Policy Group
* San Francisco Public Library
* San Francisco Board of Supervisors Member Mark Leno
For more information, see: The Electronic Frontier Foundation:
http://www.eff.org
BayFF Meetings Info Page:
http://www.eff.org/bayff
(more information on this event including speakers will be posted
there as it becomes available.)
Contact:
Katina Bishop
Director of Education & Offline Activism
Electronic Frontier Foundation
+1 415 436 9333 x101
katina@eff.org
_________________________________________________________________
Joint Statement Opposing School & Library Internet Blocking Requirements
EFF has endorsed the following statement. Many prominent individuals
and 20 organizations, such as the ACLU, the California Association of
Library Trustees and Commissioners, the Electronic Privacy Information
Center, and Rock Out Censorship, are also initial endorsers of this
statement.
Joint Statement Opposing Legislative Requirements for School and
Library Internet Blocking Technologies
With the United States Congress' passage of legislation requiring the
use of Internet blocking technologies in all public schools and
libraries participating in certain federal programs, it has become
clear that these schools and libraries are facing a variety of
challenges.
The following individuals and organizations oppose mandatory Internet
blocking technology requirements in public schools and libraries
because blocking technologies
* Underblock what they are supposed to block
* Overblock what they are not supposed to block
* Rely on subjective "expert" control
* Are error-prone, vulnerable, problematic, and unfairly
discriminatory
* Deny access to constitutionally protected and educationally
important materials that schools and libraries would otherwise
provide
We also believe government-mandated censorship does not solve problems
better handled through local decision making and educational efforts.
The undersigned organizations and individuals commit to working
together on the legal challenges to legislation requiring Internet
blocking technology.
We commit to a public education campaign on the effects of blocking
technology on online access, free speech rights, and civil liberties
of students and library patrons. We commit to sharing effective
strategies to assist young people in learning to use the Internet
safely and effectively to enhance their education.
We will share our research and documentation and will provide
educational materials and consulting services to school and library
administrators, the general public, and the media. Our goal is to
educate everyone potentially affected by the operation of Internet
blocking technology in public schools and libraries, regardless of the
outcome of legal challenges to legislative requirements for the use of
Internet blocking technology.
Any individuals or organizations in agreement with this joint
statement are welcome to sign on by sending an email to
statement@onlinepolicy.org.
The joint statement and full list of endorsers is available on the EFF
site at:
http://eff.org/Censorship/Censorware/20010117_joint_censorware_statement.html
_________________________________________________________________
EFF Seeks Intern for Online Free Expression Campaign
The Electronic Frontier Foundation seeks an Online Free Expression
Campaign intern to focus on issues related to Internet blocking
technology and related public policy. This intern will research
Internet blocking issues, prepare leaflets, reports, and media
releases, and organize forums and protests.
Basic HTML skills and general computer competence necessary. Very
helpful if you have your own laptop and/or home Internet access.
Interns will be in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in the EFF office
at least two days per week. School credit may be available.
Timeframe Needed immediately, for summer and fall semesters. Minimum
commitment 2 days per week for at least three months.
For more information, see the EFF website at:
http://www.eff.org/jobs#vol5
Or contact Will Doherty, Online Activist / Media Relations,
wild@eff.org
_________________________________________________________________
EFF Proposes Study of Real-Life Internet Blocking Use in Schools and Libraries
EFF has been assessing the feasibility of a study to examine real-life
conditions of Internet access in schools and libraries.
We are seeking university partners for this project, volunteers with
experience in social science study design, administration, and
research, as well as potential funding sources.
For more information, please contact Will Doherty, wild@eff.org
_________________________________________________________________
"The Internet is a Terrible Thing to Waste" - Get Involved in Stopping
Censorware!
Here are some basic ideas about how to get involved in preventing the
spread of Internet blocking, especially in schools and libraries:
* Endorse the Joint Statement Opposing Internet Blocking
Requirements in School and Libraries (send your endorsement to
statement@onlinepolicy.org). Joint statement text:
http://eff.org/Censorship/Censorware/20010117_joint_censorware_statement.html
* Request a copy of your local school and library Internet use
policies. Examine them closely and reply with polite,
constructive, and firm criticism if they are defective.
* Attend public hearings about school and library Internet policies
and voice your views about the effects of Internet blocking on
students and library patrons.
* Organize or attend a local protest opposing requirements for
Internet blocking at schools and libraries. Try to enlist the aid
of librarians, educators and sympathetic library officials and
school board members.
* Write your representatives in Congress and your state legislature
to urge repeal of the federal Children's Internet Protection Act
and any similar state or local legislation or regulations. For
more information on how to contact your legislators, see EFF's
guide on the topic at:
http://www.eff.org/congress
* Join the anti-blocking speakers' bureau to help educate and
influence opinion on Internet blocking in your local area.
(Contact statement@onlinepolicy.org to join.)
For more information about community responses to Internet blocking,
see the EFF Blue Ribbon Campaign website at http://www.eff.org/br
To let EFF know what you are doing about Internet blocking so we can
work together and publicize our activities, you can email
freespeech@eff.org
For additional background on the blocking debate, see:
http://www.censorware.net
http://www.peacefire.org
_________________________________________________________________
ERRATA: Correction to Medical Privacy Alert, EFFector 14.05
We seemed to be implying in the last issue's alert on medical privacy
regs that we supported both implementation and repeal. This of course
made no sense. Actually we DON'T want it both ways. What happened was
an editing error. The following paragraph was accidentally cut off
after the introduction header to Rep. Paul's letter:
"Rep. Paul identifies clear loopholes in the existing proposal, in the
dear-colleague letter below, and EFFector readers should be aware of
them. While we agree with Rep. Paul's observations, we believe his
position, that the entire HIPAA should be repealed, is too extreme.
The regs - even with these loopholes - would be a net gain for
American privacy. Instead we hope that either Congress will fix the
loopholes directly with an amendment, or that recently announced plans
to amend the regs from within HHS are carried out, and that these
problems are solved."
We apologize for any confusion created by the omission.
PS: The editor would like to apologize further to any who received two
copies of the last issue, one with an incorrect subject line. I was
unable to stop the mail queue fast enough to prevent some of the
incorrect copies going out.
_________________________________________________________________
Administrivia
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