FC: Excerpts from Reno's press conf today on unlawful conduct report

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

ATTY GEN. RENO: I don't want to make specific proposals. What I want to do
is to sit down with industry, with the privacy sector, and figure out how we
deal with those issues. If a man masks his identity, as he takes the 
credit-card numbers and other identifying information and invades the 
privacy of everybody in this room, everybody in this room is going to want 
to know who got their credit- card number; who is using it, who is 
extorting them -- whatever he is doing with it.

John Ryan, assistant general counsel, America Online:

   Q Mr. Ryan, what about the issue of anonymity? How important is that to
Internet service providers? And should there be some way that law enforcement
can penetrate the anonymity for anyone who uses the Internet?

   MR. RYAN: Well first, let me preface my remarks by stating that, on 
behalf of America Online and my industry colleagues from the Internet 
Alliance and the Information Technology Association of America --

   Q (Inaudible) -- pardon me. Could you --

   MR. RYAN: Yeah?

   Q -- lean forward so --

   MR. RYAN: Yes, sir.

   Q -- the camera can see you?

   MR. RYAN: The industry would like to commend and thank the efforts of the
entire working group, in particular the agencies, the Department of Justice and
Department of Commerce, in the thoughtful and comprehensive treatment that is
reflected in this report.

   As this report indicates, this report is not meant to offer specific
recommendations but rather a framework to continue the dialogue between the
existing partnership that exists between private industry and the governmental
agencies that have an interest in promoting a safe and secure experience.

   Anonymity is one of the issues that this report deals with. But it
specifically leaves to further dialogue a more comprehensive and thoughtful
discussion of how to balance the privacy interests of those who use the
interactive service, as well as those who seek to abuse it. So rather than deal
with specific comments on the issue of anonymity, I think we are prepared today
to commit ourselves to continue with this dialogue, between industry and the
public safety, to make sure that all the important issues that are raised in
this report are dealt with.
   Q Well, speaking of dialogue, what is -- just to engage in a little here --
what is the industry's view about anonymity? Should it be preserved on the
Internet? Or should there be a way for law enforcement, with proper court 
orders
or subpoenas, or whatever, to pierce that anonymity, if they feel they need to?

   MR. RYAN: First, this report reflects that there are existing statutes,
notably the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, that sets forth the
guidelines that exist, whenever law enforcement seeks to acquire information or
data from an Internet service provider or a member who uses that service.

...

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