IP: THE CDA DISASTER NETWORK

[David Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

THE CDA DISASTER NETWORK
May 29, 1997


After a long (and glaring) silence on the issue, President Clinton
*may* be backing away from his earlier support of the Internet
censorship provisions contained within the Communications Decency Act.


Or so it seems.


Between the President's recent, off-the-cuff policy statement of
support for a "V-chip for the Internet" and the muddled attempts at
follow-up clarification offered by his staff, it's clear that the
White House is still trying to get a handle on how the Internet works,
and what can be done to shield children from inappropriate material in
cyberspace.


Are these statements an encouraging sign?  Perhaps ... but based on
the transcripts that follow below, it's not clear that the White House
has much interest in defending free speech on the Internet. The devil
is always in the details, and it's obvious the Clinton administration
still has a long way to go before they get all the details nailed
down.


Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision on
the CDA sometime within the next five weeks. How will the White House
respond if the CDA is overturned?  We'll just have to wait and see.


Work the network!


--Todd Lappin-->
Section Editor
WIRED Magazine