FC: Lazio and Clinton fall for hoax email tax during Senate debate

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

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From IP. Background on debate, set to replay at 8 pm ET on CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/10/08/nysenate.debate.2nd/index.html
Background on hoax:
http://www.politechbot.com/p-00413.html

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> Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 09:00:14 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
> Subject: Hoax E-Mail Tax Bill Question at U.S. Senate (NY) Debate
> Cc: lauren () pfir org, neumann () pfir org
>
> Dave,
>
> Greetings.  I thought a heads-up on this might be in order.  This morning at
> the Clinton/Lazio debate to fill the U.S. Senate seat from the state of New
> York, the candidates were asked about a pending Senate Bill to impose an
> E-Mail Tax (usually designated Bill 602P).  Both candidates denounced it.
>
> Of course, THIS BILL DOES NOT EXIST AND NEVER HAS EXISTED.  It is one of the
> more persistent Internet hoaxes and has been widely denounced as such for a
> very long time.  Unfortunately, it appears that the questions at the debate
> (which was telecast live at least nationally by CNN and locally in NY by
> other outlets) were not properly vetted.  Nor would a real U.S. Senate bill
> even exist with such a nomenclature, as far as I know.
>
> Thumbs down on the debate for helping to spread this disruptive hoax.
>
> For some additional thoughts on the issues of Internet hoaxes, the
> PFIR (People For Internet Responsibility) statement on this topic
> is at http://www.pfir.org/statements/hoaxes.
>
> Take care.
>
> --Lauren--
> Lauren Weinstein
> lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () privacyforum org
> Co-Founder, PFIR - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
> Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy

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> Date: Sun, 8 Oct 2000 09:15:43 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
> To: farber () cis upenn edu
>
> I'd like to  clarify that the candidates treated it as a genuine bill, not 
> that they denounced it as a hoax.
>
> --Lauren--

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