Global Internet Liberty Campaign Alert 2.4

[nobody@REPLAY.COM (Anonymous)]

GILC Alert
Volume 2, Issue 4
March 16, 1998

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Welcome to the Global Internet Liberty Campaign Newsletter
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Welcome to GILC Alert, the newsletter of the Global Internet Liberty
Campaign. We are an international organization of groups working for
cyber-liberties, who are determined to preserve civil liberties and
human rights on the Internet.

We hope you find this newsletter interesting, and we very much hope
that you will avail yourselves of the action items in future issues.

If you are a part of an organization that would be interested in
joining GILC, please contact us at gilc@gilc.org. If you are aware of
threats to cyber liberties that we may not know about, please contact
the GILC members in your country, or contact GILC as a whole.
Please feel free to redistribute this newsletter to appropriate
forums.
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  [A] FOREMOST NEWS
[A1] GILC to Issue Statement on Internet Content and Conduct
[B] ROUNDUP OF GLOBAL INTERNET ISSUES
[B1] Africa
[B1.1] Sudan's Muslim Sects Want Internet Ban
[B1.2] Ghana Brings Internet to People
[B2] Asia/Oceania
[B2.1] Singapore Requires ISPs to Install Internet Filters
[B2.2] Malaysia Warns Against Technology Without Morality
[B2.3] Hong Kong Labels Candy Site "Objectionable"
[B2.4] Australia Concerned Over US Domain Name Proposals
[B3] Europe
[B3.1] EU Critiques US Over Domain Name "Green Paper"
[B3.2] Russia Considers Amendment to Protect Internet From New "Mass
Media" Law
[B3.3] Kosovo Atrocities Posted to Internet
[B3.4] UK Called on EU Members to Allow Police to "Tap" Encrypted
Messages
[B4] North America
[B4.1] Senate Approves Two Internet Bills
[B4.2] FBI Chief Freeh Warns Against "Uncrackable Encryption"
[B4.3] FBI Rethinks Encryption Position, For Now
[B4.4] New Mexico Censors Internet
[B4.5] 100 Companies Join to Fight Encryption Controls



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CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE UNIVERSAL
DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS BY GOING TO THE AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
HUMAN RIGHTS CARAVAN SITE AND JOINING THE THOUSANDS WHO'VE SIGNED THE
DOCUMENT.

THE CYBER"BOOK" OF SIGNATURES WILL BE CARRIED AROUND THE WORLD AND
SIGNED BY DIGNATARIES, CELEBRITIES, POLITICIANS AND OTHERS.

REAFFIRM THE WORLD'S DEDICATION TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES!!!

http://www.rights.amnesty.org/english/signup/index.html
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 [A] FOREMOST NEWS
[A1] GILC to Issue Statement on Internet Content and Conduct

Preparing for an OECD one day meeting on "International Co-operation
Concerning Content and Conduct on the Internet", 25th March 1998, in
Paris, members of the Global Internet Liberty Campaign will soon issue
"Content and Conduct on the Internet: The Impact of Self-Regulation
and Filtering on Human Rights to Freedom of Expression."  Among other
things, the statement notes: "Global rating or labeling systems
squelch the free flow of information: Efforts to force all Internet
speech to be labeled or rated according to a single classification
system distorts the fundamental cultural diversity of the Internet and
will lead to domination of one set of political or moral viewpoints.
Such systems will either be easy to use and not have enough categories
for all cultures or it will have so many categories to cater for all
cultures that it will be unusable. These systems are antithetical to
the Internet and should be rejected."

A full report on the OECD meeting and GILC�s presentation will appear
in the next Alert.

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[B] ROUNDUP OF GLOBAL INTERNET ISSUES
[B1] Africa
[B1.1] Sudan's Muslim Sects Want Internet Ban

Islamic clerics, in recent calls, have focused their ire on Sudan's
single Internet Service Provider, Sudanet.  Inter Press Service quotes
Mohamed Salih Hassan, a cleric of the influential Ansar Muslim sect,
who sees the Internet as "pollutive" and fears that Sudanese youth are
in jeopardy: "The Muslim people should respect the faith, and not
allow such information to reach their families.  If an uncontrollable
system like the Internet is introduced in society it will be very
difficult for us to preach the Kingdom of Allah."  The battle to ban
the Internet will be difficult, however.  The newspaper interviewed
people already connected to the Internet; one, who used an alias
because he feared repercussions, said: "The Internet is not against
anybody. It is a new information system that feeds the world with
information . . . . The Internet will bring peace to all of us.  It
makes me feel like I am living in a world without borders."
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[B1.2] Ghana Brings Internet to People

While most people in Ghana do not have access to their own computers
(because of the combined problems of illiteracy, poverty and weak
electrical supplies), they will soon have access to the Internet.
Several Internet Service Providers are looking for ways to bring the
Internet to the average Ghanaian, through channels that people are
already familiar with: communication centers that offer secretarial,
word-processing, telephone and fax services.  Inter Press Service
reports "Africa Online will create a domain for each of the
participating communications centers. The center, in turn, will be
free to create E-mail addresses for its customers, who can then send
and receive messages from their address at fixed costs."  ISPs are
also looking to provide access to school children.  Network Computer
Systems, another ISP, has recently offered to provide free Internet
connections for a year to 100 high schools around the country.

Visit the Network Computer Systems homepage: http://www.ghana.com

Visit Africa Online: http://www.africaonline.com
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[B2] Asia/Oceania
[B2.1] Singapore Requires ISPs to Install Internet Filters

Singapore, which already censors the Internet, books and movies will
require its Internet Service Providers to install, at the server
level, software that filters "inappropriate material."  Reuters quoted
Information and Arts Minister George Yeo's address to parliament where
he said that a software package, like Netnanny was "in the interest of
cleaner, more sanitized internet service."  A few days after that
speech, Bill Gates said, during a one-day trip to the country: "I have
no doubt Singapore, given it is a forward-looking country . . . will
avoid doing something that will be a major roadblock."

Read http://biz.yahoo.com/finance/980319/singapore__1.html

Read
http://www.wired.com/news/news/email/other/politics/story/10944.html

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[B2.2] Malaysia Warns Against Technology Without Morality

With Internet cafes springing up in suburbs all over Malaysia,
students are beginning to send E-mail, chat in chat rooms, and
eventually view sexually explicit material.  To officials in the
predominantly Moslem country, this presents problems.  The nation's
censors already take pains to keep movies free from "sex scenes" and
magazines bare-breastless. The Associated Press quotes Junid Megat
Ayob, Consumer Affairs Minister, who wants stricter controls on the
Internet because he sees his mission as keeping youth from "poisoning
their minds with filth."  To aid in his mission, Cybercafes must now
post with authorities about US$5,100 to ensure that their computers
remain free from pornography.  If the Cafes allow access to sexually
explicit material, the government would confiscate the money.

Read http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/10712.html

Read
http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WAPO/19980314/V000800-031498-i
dx.html
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[B2.3] Hong Kong Labels Candy Site "Objectionable"

In another attempt to block "objectionable material" from the
Internet, Hong Kong has censored a Hershey's candy Web site. The
Television and Licensing Authority (TLA) put the "Smarties" candy site
on a list of 1,000 sites which it deemed unfit for children.  CNET
quoted Raymond Yip, of TLA: "We need to investigate the case.  It is
probably a typing error on our part."

Read http://www.news.com/news/item/textonly/0,25,20039,00.html?pfv

The "unfit" Web site is: http://www.smarties.com

Read EPIC's "Faulty Filters" report:
http://www2.epic.org/reports/filter-report.html
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[B2.4] Australia Concerned Over US Domain Name Proposals

The United States has recently proposed a centralized plan to regulate
Internet issues.  Besides changing the way persons register Internet
Domain Names, a US-based corporation would administer the names and
subject any disputes to US law. Fears are that the plan would
"effectively ensure US jurisdiction over trademark issues and dispute
resolution processes," said Senator Richard Alson, the Minister for
Communications, the Information Economy and the Arts, in a press
release. He added: "We need to ensure that the views of Australian
stake holders, and the Australian Government, are fully considered in
decisions to reform the international system."

Read the Press Release: http://www.dca.gov.au/mediarel/98/028.html

Go to Electronic Frontiers Australia for more news on related issues:
http://www.efa.org.au

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[B3] Europe
[B3.1] EU Critiques US Over Domain Name "Green Paper"

The battle against the US Domain Name proposals is also being waged on
European soil.   The European Commission has accused the US of
desiring to keep the international network of computers under domestic
control, and thereby, creating a monopoly.  The European Report
announced that "the EU and its Member States are calling for a
re-balancing of interest and responsibilities in recognition of the
Internet's international character."  They want balanced and fair
participation by the private sector in Internet management. In a
"green paper" published in January, the US suggested that the private
sector begin controlling essential pieces of the system, instead of
the US government.  The "essential pieces" are "generic top-level
domains": for example, ".net," ".org," and ".com."  The Deutsche
Presse-Agentur quotes Professor of Computer Science, Werner Zorn of
the University of Karlsruhe in Germany: "The U.S. government is trying
to prevent foreign dominance on the Internet." Another motive, adds
Zorn, is retaining a lucrative source of income.  Today, US-based
Network Solutions charges $100 per domain name registered.

Read the International Council of Registrars' response to the US
"Green Paper": http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/980323/core_1.html

Read the CATO Institute's "INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES:
Privatization, Competition, and Freedom of Expression":
http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-033es.html
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[B3.2] Russia Considers Amendment to Protect Internet From New "Mass
Media" Law

The Moscow Times reported that the Russian Duma has recently proposed
a new law on "mass media that could place a roadblock in the path of
Russia's fledgling web publishers, from individuals with personal home
pages to large corporations blazing the trails of electronic
commerce."  Duma deputy, Y.M. Nesterov, however, suggested an
amendment excluding any mention of "computer information" from the
bill.  Furthermore, the chair of the committee preparing the bill,
displayed some interest in the Internet question.  The Communication
Committee will examine that and other amendments to the "mass media"
bill and draft a second bill for final hearing.  As of yet, nothing
has been announced.

Latest information in Russian:
http://www.cityline.ru/politika/media/media.html
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[B3.3] Kosovo Atrocities Posted to Internet

In the remote parts of Yugoslavia, unreliable links to the outside
world and the tight-lipped state news agency, Tanjug, have made a
journalist's job difficult. But in many situations, the Internet
continues to provide detailed and timely reports.  The Scotsman
reports that Web sites publish, without the "benefit" of censorship,
and post eyewitness accounts and pictures of "men, women, and children
with eyes gouged out, throats cut, and grenade and gunshot wounds."
The Internet accounts guarantee that traditional sources of
information will not dictate the spread of complete and accurate
information; therefore, "there can be no doubt whatsoever of the
veracity of claims made by Albanians in Kosovo."

Visit: http://www.kosova.com

Visit: http://www.albanian.com

Read the GILC Statement on Human Rights and the Internet:
http://www.gilc.org/news/gilc-ep-statement-0198.html
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[B3.4] UK Called on EU Members to Allow Police to "Tap" Encrypted
Messages

Following the GILC statement on encryption, European Voice reported
that officials from the UK desire that, in particular situations,
government officials should be authorized to tap encrypted E-mail
messages sent through the Internet.  Citing concerns with terrorists,
the Mafia, and other criminal organizations, UK officials warned:
"Where an encryption key is used for confidentiality purposes, it may
be necessary for law enforcement agencies to have lawful access . . .
.. either overt[ly] or covert[ly]."  For an opposing view, European
Voice quoted the Business Software Alliance: "Without strong
encryption, businesses and individuals will not entrust their valuable
proprietary information, creative content, and sensitive information
to electronic networks. The result will be that the full potential for
electronic commerce, personal growth and government efficiency and
other benefits of the information society will be delayed or lost
altogether." According to Yaman Akdeniz of Cyber-Rights &
Cyber-Liberties (UK) the current UK policy is still not clear: "We
will have to wait and see the new policy; and I, unfortunately,
believe that it will still be a system which favors key escrow."

Read the GILC Statement on possible UK Cryptography Policy:
http://www.gilc.org/crypto/uk/gilc-dti-statement-298.html

Read BBC News Coverage of the GILC member statement, "UK government
dithers on encryption regulation," Feb.20, 1998.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/encryption/newsid
_58000/58499.stm

Read GILC's Cryptography and Liberty: An International Survey of
Encryption Policy, February 1998, at
http://www.gilc.org/crypto/crypto-survey.html.

Read Cyber-Rights & Cyber-Liberties (UK), "First Report on UK
Encryption Policy" is available at
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/pgs/yaman/ukdtirep.htm.

Read "Scrambling for Safety" Conference Web site is at
http://www.privacy.org/pi/conference/dti/.

Read the Walsh Report, "Review of policy relating to encryption
technologies": http://www.efa.org.au/Issues/Crypto/Walsh/

Read Kryptographie, Cryptography resources in German from FITUG, at
http://www.fitug.de/ulf/krypto/.

Britain has delayed any encryption proposals:
http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19980219S0008

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[B4] North America
[B4.1] Senate Approves Two Internet Bills

The Senate Commerce Committee approved on a voice vote two bills that
restrict speech on the Internet.  The first was Senator John McCain's
(which would limit student access to constitutionally protected speech
in schools and libraries) and the other was Senator Dan Coats's (which
would censor legitimate adult speech).  McCain's bill requires schools
and libraries, which receive federal subsidies for Internet
connections, to install filtering software.  Senator Conrad Burns,
however, offered an amendment that would not require the use of
filtering software, but would require that schools have some kind of
Internet policy which shields students from sexually explicit
material.  Senator Coats's bill would censor commercial distribution
of "harmful material" to people under 17 years of age.  Senator Dan
Wyden, the sole dissenter on the Coats bill, criticized Coats's
attempt as a "one size fits all" model.

Read the ACLU Press Release: http://www.aclu.org/news/n031298b.html

Go to the Internet Free Expression Alliance for more news on the
bills: http://www.ifea.net

Go to the EPIC site for the text of the bills: http://www.epic.org

Read EFF's Press Release:
http://www.eff.org/pub/Censorship/Internet_censorship_bills/1998_bills
/19980312_eff.statement

Go to CDT's site for more information: http://www.cdt.org/speech
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[B4.2] FBI Chief Freeh Warns Against "Uncrackable Encryption"

Before a Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Commerce,
Justice, State and Judiciary on March 3rd, Louis Freeh, director of
the FBI, argued that online anonymity imperiled FBI criminal
investigations and put children in danger: "We would encourage the
Internet provider industry to maintain subscriber and call
information.  We certainly hope it would be done, even on a voluntary
basis." Freeh added: "Uncrackable encryption allows, and will continue
to allow with increasing regularity, drug lords, terrorists, and even
violent gangs to communicate about their criminal intentions with
impunity."

The ACLU challenged these scare tactics with "Big Brother in the
Wires": http://www.aclu.org/issues/cyber/wiretap_brother.html
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[B4.3] FBI Rethinks Encryption Position, For Now

The FBI has had a long history of arguing against strong encryption.
Nevertheless, on March 17th, a Justice Department official, Robert
Litt, the deputy assistant attorney general of the criminal division,
remarked to a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on the
constitutional issues raised by government encryption controls: "We
are not looking for any mandatory controls domestically at this time."
The CyberTimes reported that, for now, he/the FBI/the Clinton
administration is "retreating from legislation that would give 'law
enforcers access to encrypted computer data and communications.'"

CyberTimes:
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/03/cyber/articles/18encrypt.htm
l

CNET's article: http://www.news.com/news/item/0,4,20149,00.html

For a full transcript of the congressional testimony:
http://www.computerprivacy.org/archive/03171998-1

Legal scholars respond to Litt:
http://www.computerprivacy.org/archive/03231998-1.shtml

ACLU's "White Paper" on Clinton's encryption policy:
http://www.aclu.org/news/n031798b.html
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[B4.4] New Mexico Censors Internet

The Electronic Frontier Foundation will challenge New Mexico's "Net
Indecency Law."  Earlier this month, Governor Gary Johnson signed a
bill that suffers from the same constitutional defects that caused the
Supreme Court to strike down the Federal Communications Decency Act in
June of 1997.  In a letter to Johnson, Barry Steinhardt, president of
EFF (a GILC founding member) wrote, "the bill is patently
unconstitutional and represents a threat to freedom of expression, not
only in New Mexico, but across the country."
EFF's letter:
http://www.eff.org/pub/State_and_local/NM/Censorship/Internet_censorsh
ip_bills/1998/19980307_eff_sb127.letter

CNET article:
http://www.news.com/news/item/textonly/0,25,19859,00.html?pfv

Reno v. ACLU: http://www.aclu.org/court/renovacludec.html
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[B4.5] 100 Companies Join to Fight Encryption Controls

Americans for Computer Privacy (ACP) has begun an advertisement
campaign urging citizens to stop their politicians from limiting
encryption.  In a press release, ACP stated that it "will implement a
multi-million dollar campaign to demonstrate to members of Congress
and administration officials that a fair encryption policy is not just
a computer issue.  It's a privacy issue.  It's a consumer issue. It's
a medical records issue.  It's a taxpayer protection issue.  It's a
crime deterrent issue.  It's a jobs issue.  It's a competitive issue.
In an open letter, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic
Frontier Foundation and the Electronic Privacy Information Center
said, �(W)e believe that the ACP will be an important ally in the
ongoing effort to protect personal privacy in the digital age," the
letter says, "and we look forward to working together towards a
complete and unrestricted repeal of the current controls on the export
of strong cryptography and to resist any domestic restrictions on the
use of encryption."
The Washington Post article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/Wplate/1998-03/04/0491-030498-idx
..html

ACP can be found at http://www.computerprivacy.org

The American Civil Liberties Union, The Electronic Frontier
Foundation, and the Electronic Privacy and Information Center issued
this joint letter: http://www.aclu.org/news/n030498a.html
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Raafat S. Toss
GILC Organizer Developer
American Civil Liberties Union
125 Broad Street
New York, New York 10004
rtoss@aclu.org
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