IP: An Open Letter to the Net form Sens. Burns, Pressler &

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

    AN OPEN INVITATION TO THE INTERNET COMMUNITY FROM MEMBERS OF
     THE SENATE COMMERCE COMMITTEE


     July 23, 1996


     This week, the Senate Commerce Committee will take a historic step
     forward toward enhancing citizens participation in the democratic
     process via the Internet.  On Thursday July 25 the Committee's hearing
     on S. 1726, the "Pro-CODE" Act of 1996 will be cybercast live on the
     Internet.


     As many of you are well aware, the debate over US encryption policy is
     of vital importance to the future development of the Internet and the
     privacy of all Americans.   We are writing to invite you to join us in
     this unique event. And to help the Committee better understand your
     concerns about privacy and security on the Internet, we are inviting
     you to submit your thoughts for the hearing record via the World Wide
     Web and to discuss the issues with us and members of our staff live
     online during the hearing.


     Information on how you can join the cybercast, submit your thoughts
     for the record, and participate in an online discussion with
     encryption experts, members of the committee, and other concerned
     individuals are available at:


     http://www.crypto.com/hearing-cybercast/


     Witnesses scheduled to testify at Thursday's hearing include:


     * Louis Freeh,  FBI Director
     * William Reinsch, Undersecretary, Bureau of Export Administration,
     Dept. of Commerce
     * William P. Crowell, Deputy Director, NSA
     * James Barksdale, CEO Netscape Communications Corporation
     * Grover Norquist, Director, Americans for Tax Reform
     * Roel Pieper, Pres/CEO Tandem Computer
     * Ambassador Michael Skol


     The Cybercast, which is being coordinated by the Center for Democracy
     and Technology, Voters Telecommunications Watch, HotWired, DIGEX, and
     Mike Rawson of Senator Burns' office, has four components.  These are:


     1. LIVE AUDIO CYBERCAST: The audio portion of the hearing will be
     cybercast live online in real-time. Anyone with RealAudio installed on
     their computers (available free at http://www.realaudio.com/) will be
     able to listen in on the hearing.  Audio transcripts will also be
     archived online at http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/ after the
     hearing.


     2. REAL-TIME PICTURES: Pictures from the hearing will also be uploaded
     to the World Wide Web in real time throughout the hearing.


     3. SIMULTANEOUS ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM: Netizens can also join a live
     discussion forum where encryption experts and Commerce Committee staff
     while they listen to the audio portion of the hearing.  This provides
     an opportunity to discuss the issues raised by the testimony in real
     time with knowledgeable experts and Congressional staff. Several
     members of the Commerce Committee may also join the discussion
     periodically (TBA).


     4. TESTIMONY FOR THE RECORD: Netizens can also submit their thoughts
     on
     the  legislation for the record via the World Wide Web.  Details are
     posted at the http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/.


     Finally, detailed background information on the encryption debate can
     be found at the following World Wide Web sites:


     Senator Conrad Burns (R-MT)           - http://www.senate.gov/~burns/
     Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD)
     -http://www.senate.gov/~pressler/
     Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO)
     -http://www.senate.gov/~ashcroft/
     Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT)          - http://www.senate.gov/~leahy/
     The Encryption Policy Resource Page   - http://www.crypto.com/
     The Internet Privacy Coalition        - http://www.privacy.org/ipc


     Your thoughts and comments on this issue are extremely helpful to us
     as we continue to push for passage of legislation to enhance privacy
     and security on the Internet. We hope you will join us on Thursday for
     this important experiment in the future of democracy.


     Sincerely,


     Sen. Conrad Burns
     Sen. Larry Pressler
     Sen. John Ashcroft