IP: EFF Calls for CIPE Protest April 20

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> ******** www.cybertelecom.org **********
>
> http://www.eff.org/br/br1.html
>
> 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 is
> 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 -
>
> "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).
>    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 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
>
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