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IP: CDT Release on Administration's 'Electronic Commerce'
From: David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>
Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 12:04:15 -0400
CDT APPLAUDS CLINTON ADMINISTRATION'S "HANDS OFF THE NET" APPROACH Press Release Contact: Jerry Berman, Executive Director For Immediate Release +1.202.637.9800 Washington, DC -- July 1, 1997. The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) today applauded the release of the Clinton Administration's "Framework for Global Electronic Commerce." The report, drafted by an administration task force headed by Ira Magaziner, outlines a deregulatory approach to encouraging the growth of the Internet. "The Administration has outlined a broad vision of the Internet as a decentralized, global communications network free of heavy handed government regulation." said Jerry Berman, CDT's Executive Director. "We believe the Administration has the right approach." Berman added. "The report represents a new beginning and symbolizes an important change in perception of how to encourage the growth of the Internet to maximize the benefits of the Information Age." Berman said. "The Clinton Administration took office in 1993 amid talk of a government spawned 'Information Superhighway' with 500 channels and nothing on. This view has now been overtaken by the decentralized, open Internet on which every user is a publisher. It is clear that the big government metaphor no longer fits." CDT is particularly pleased that the report calls for no new government content regulations on the Internet in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn the Communications Decency Act, and instead seeks to encourage use of currently available user empowerment tools. "We look forward to working with the Administration to find ways to empower users and parents to make content choices for themselves and their families based on their own values" Berman added. CDT expressed concern that the report calls for a US encryption policy based on cold war-era export restrictions and domestic key recovery systems -- a position which has been widely criticized by Internet users, civil liberties advocates, and large segments of the computer and communications industries. "The Administration's 'big government 'encryption policy seems inconsistent with the vision of the Internet articulated in the report", Berman said. "We hope to work with the Administration to re-focus their views on encryption to ensure that Americans can trust in the security of the networks." CDT also expressed support for the Administration's effort to encourage other governments to adopt the approach outlined in the report. "It is critical that the US government articulate this vision globally and encourage other countries to protect the open nature of the Internet. Otherwise, the Global Information Infrastructure will balkanize and never reach it's fullest potential." said Daniel Weitzner, CDT Deputy Director. The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) is a non-profit public interest organization working to advance democratic values and constitional civil liberties on the Internet and other computer and communications media. -- 30 --
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