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Cyberspace--Silencing the Net
EFFORTS TO CENSOR THE INTERNET EXPAND
U.S. a Miserable Role Model with Passage of Communications Decency Act
May 10, 1996 (New York) Governments around the world, claiming they want to
protect children, thwart terrorists or silence racists and hate mongers, are
rushing to eradicate freedom of expression on the Internet. "The U.S. Congress
and the Clinton administration, reacting to recent hysteria over cyberporn,'
led the way by passing the Communications Decency Act," says Karen Sorensen,
Human Rights Watch on-line research associate. "It is particularly crucial
now, in the early stages of vast technological change, that all governments
reaffirm their commitment to respect the rights of citizens to communicate
freely, and for the United States as the birthplace of the Internet, to be a
model for free speech, not censorship," she adds. Human Rights Watch is a
plaintiff in the lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union
challenging the CDA on constitutional grounds. The hearings in the lawsuit,
which was filed in U.S. Federal District Court on February 8 (the day it was
signed into law) end today in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The judges are
expected to rule shortly thereafter.
In addition, Human Rights Watch is calling on the nations participating in the
G7 Ministerial Conference on the Information Society and Development to be
held in South Africa from May 13-15, 1996, to repudiate the international
trend toward censorship and to express unequivocal support for free expression
guarantees on-line. Among the G7 countries Britain, Canada, France, Germany,
Italy, Japan, and the United States only the U.S. has actually passed
legislation curtailing freedom of expression on-line. The trend toward
restricting on-line communication is growing, according to Silencing the Net:
The Threat to Freedom of Expression On-line, which documents restrictions that
have been put in place in at least twenty countries, including the following:
-- China, which requires users and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to
register with authorities;
-- Vietnam and Saudi Arabia, which permit only a single, government-
controlled gateway for Internet service;
-- United States, which has enacted new Internet-specific legislation that
imposes more restrictive regulations on electronic expression than those
currently applied to printed expression;
-- India, which charges exorbitant rates for international access through
the state-owned phone company;
-- Germany, which has cut off access to particular host computers or
Internet sites;
-- Singapore, which has chosen to regulate the Internet as if it were a
broadcast medium, and requires political and religious content providers to
register with the state; and
-- New Zealand, which classifies computer disks as publications and has
seized and restricted them accordingly.
Human Rights Watch recommends principles for international and regional bodies
and nations to follow when formulating public policy and laws affecting the
Internet, sets forth the international legal principles governing on-line
expression, and, examines some of the current attempts around the globe to
censor on-line communication.
The 24-page report is available via e-mail at [email protected] or from the
Human Rights Gopher:
URL: gopher://gopher.humanrights.org:5000/11/int/hrw/general
Paper copies of Silencing the Net are available from the Publications
Department, Human Rights Watch, 485 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017-6104 for
$3.60 (domestic), $4.50 (international). Visa/MasterCard accepted.
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is a nongovernmental organization established in 1978 to
monitor and promote the observance of internationally recognized human rights
in Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and among the signatories of
the Helsinki accords. It is supported by contributions from private
individuals and foundations worldwide. It accepts no government funds,
directly or indirectly. The staff includes Kenneth Roth, executive director;
Cynthia Brown, program director; Holly J. Burkhalter, advocacy director;
Barbara Guglielmo, finance and administration director; Robert Kimzey,
publications director; Jeri Laber, special advisor; Gara LaMarche, associate
director; Lotte Leicht, Brussels office director; Juan Mndez, general
counsel; Susan Osnos, communications director; Jemera Rone, counsel; and
Joanna Weschler, United Nations representative. Robert L. Bernstein is the
chair of the board and Adrian W. DeWind is vice chair.
Human Rights Watch
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New York, NY 10017-6104
TEL: 212/972-8400
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E-mail: [email protected]
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