IP: Join the CIEC Court Challenge

[Dave Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

Protect Free Speech Online -- Join the CIEC Court Challenge


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What is the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition?


The Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC - pronounced "seek") is a
coalition of Internet users, businesses, non-profit organizations and civil
liberties advocates formed to challenge the constitutionality of the
Communications Decency Act because they believe it violates their free
speech rights and condments the Internet to a future of burdensome
censorship and government intrusion.


How Can I Help Protect the Internet?


You can participate in a landmark effort that will determine the fate of
the Internet and the future of free expression in the Information Age.


Every user of the Internet is a content provider under the Communications
Decency Act (CDA) and could be subject to fines and prison sentences under
the new law. If you post messages to an open listserv, Usenet newsgroups,
participate in IRC or chat sessions, or maintain your own personal Web
Page, ftp or gopher archive, you may be subject to fines up to $250,000 or
2 years in prison under the CDA if someone, somewhere, finds the material
you post to be "indecent" or 'patently offensive".


If you are concerned about the impact of the Communications Decency Act,
you can join the fight to overturn it. Join the CIEC today! (the deadline
for joining is March 15, 1996)


Instructions for Joining the CIEC


Joining the CIEC as an individual Internet user is a simple as filling out
the form below. Individual CIEC members will also be invited to join a
private listserv for announcements and status reports on the progress of
the case.


Statement of CIEC Principals


As an individual user of the of the Internet, I join the Citizens Internet
Empowerment Coalition to challenge the Communications Decency Act because I
believe in:


   * Promoting the continued development of the Internet as a forum for the
     free exchange of valuable information and ideas.


   * Promoting the ability of parents and other individual users to
     supervise and assist their children in accessing the wealth of
     information resouces available on this global communications medium,
     free from improper government censorship.


As an individual user of the Internet, I am subject to the restrictions
imposed by the Communications Decency Act. While it is clear that I am
subject to criminal penalties under this law, I neither understand what
materials would be illegal nor how I can avoid prosecution.


I believe that the CDA will restrict my rights to free speech under the
United States Constitution and destroy the Internet as a viable means of
free expression, education, and commerce.


Signed:


Your Name
Your E-mail address


Do you live in the United States? (If no, be sure to fill in "Country")
 Yes   No


Street Address
City
State
Zip Code
Country


If you have a personal Home Page, please let us know your URL:


Please Note: For legal purposes, you must provide your name and a valid
snail mail address in order to join the coalition. Forms submitted without
an address will not be processed. Please be sure to read the Terms And
Conditions/Privacy Policy below.






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Terms and Conditions/Privacy Policy: The Information collected above will
not be used for any purpose other than printing a list of Citizens Internet
Empowerment Coalition members in official court documents and other filings
by the CIEC. It will not be reused, sold, rented, loaned, or available for
use for any other purpose. It is possible in defending the
constitutionality of the CDA, the government may request a complete list of
the names and addresses of coalition members.
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For More Information, send email to Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition
Page