-> If you are organizing a rally in your area, please let us know.
-> We'll keep the alerts page updated. - mech@eff.org

ALERT: Meet With Legislators to Stop the CDA!

Those attempts are still underway. Though, thankfully, passage of this legislation has been at least delayed, the fight is NOT yet over. Please read and act on this alert. The full text of the latest version of the censorship provisions is available at:

The second article below contains EFF's concise analysis of and statement on this draft legislation, followed by a guest editorial from US Representative Anna Eshoo of California, condeming these "Communications Decency" provisions.

CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE NET CENSORSHIP LEGISLATION
(SEE THE LIST OF CAMPAIGN COALITION MEMBERS AT THE END)

Update: -Latest News: We've won our reprieve! Make this count!

-What You Can Do Now: Meet with your Congress-person and ask them to oppose the Telecomm bill

CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
Jan 1, 1996

PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT REDISTRIBUTE ONLY UNTIL Jan 30, 1996
REPRODUCE THIS ALERT ONLY IN RELEVANT FORUMS

CONTENTS
What You Can Do Now
How To Setup A Really Good Meeting With Congressional Staff
The Latest News
Chronology of the CDA
For More Information
List Of Participating Organizations

ALERT: What You Can Do Now

As you also probably already know, Congress broke for the year without voting on the Telecommunications Deregulation bill. Although net activists should not take too much credit for this nonevent, our loud objections to the language being tossed around in the Conference committee certainly helped slow things down a bit.

We have bought ourselves some time, and now we must meet with our legislators and explain to them why the Telecommunications Deregulation bill will cripple the Internet as a medium for commerce, education, and democracy.

We've done well so far in establishing ourselves and our concerns in Washington DC. We need to transform ourselves, evolve into the next step in the political process and begin the face to face work that will convince candidates that we vote, and our votes turn on the First Amendment.

Make a New Year's resolution: vow to have a face to face meeting with the staff of your local legislator. Follow the directions below and help become a part of the growing Internet Voter block.

1. Setup a meeting at the local office of your Congress-person.

Sample phone call (a bit long for a call, but use it as a guide)

Hi, I'm a constituent.

The pending Telecommunications Reform bill contains a provision which, under the guise of protecting children from objectionable material on the Internet, will destroy the Internet as a viable medium for commerce, education, and democracy. I believe that there are other, less restrictive ways to address this issue.

I am very concerned about this issue, and I would like to come in and meet with someone in your office to talk about why this bill must not be passed in its current form. How soon can I schedule a meeting?

If you don't know who your local legislator is, try these methods:

League of Women Voters: In many cities you can call them and they will look up your legislator for you.

Elections Board: Many cities allow you to look up your legislator by calling the local Elections board.

The Zipper: Stardot Consulting has setup a Congressional lookup service called the Zipper, which lets you look up your legislator by entering your zipcode.
URL:http://www.stardot.com/zipper/

You can call the capitol switchboard at: 202 224-3121 A list of phone numbers for Congress is available also at:
URL:http://www.vtw.org/congress/

2. Tell us about your meeting, preferably before and after by sending us mail to feedback@vtw.org. We will be keeping track of feedback to help coordinate lobbying efforts in DC if and when Congress votes on this issue.

$ Mail feedback@vtw.org
Subject: meeting setup with Rep. Snodgrass

I've got a meeting scheduled with Rep. Snodgrass' staff on Tues. I'm taking the Internet Parental Control FAQ and will educate them about why these laws are not only unnecessary, but will not help control kids' access to the net!

$ Mail feedback@vtw.org
Subject: my meeting with Rep. Snodgrass

I just got back from my meeting with Snodgrass' staff. It went well! They didn't know anything about the Internet, but I helped explain to them about parental control tools and the fact that current laws are already being enforced there, and they seemed to understand!

3. Relax! You have really done a lot to help the cause.

ALERT: How to Set Up A Really Good Meeting with Congressional Staff

You must have a clear theme in the meeting. Even if you say it and you think it sounds corny, you don't want to leave a staffer guessing at what you want.

The theme should be:

The Telecom bill should not pass with the net censorship provisions in its current form. House Speaker Gingrich and Senate Leader Dole have both expressed concern over these provisions. Please work with them to protect free speech and the Internet.

It will help if you bring a personal Internet success story, such as important medical information found on the net, children gets material for school reports, car-owners talking to one another, camping tips, consumer product information from companies, local library card catalog, government information from CDC, Census, USDA, NASA, etc.

SCHEDULING THE MEETING

When you setup your meeting, do not overload the meeting. It is better to have a local office have three meetings with three people, rather than one meeting with nine people.

A perfect meeting would include an Internet user, an Internet business (like an Internet provider or another company that uses the net), and a librarian. Pick someone to be the MC so things progress smoothly.

If you're the only one going to the meeting, that is good too. It's better to go to the meeting alone, rather than have no meeting at all.

PREPARING FOR THE MEETING

Make sure you're familiar with the issues before going into the meeting. Take some time to read the Communications Decency Act FAQ available from URL:http://www.vtw.org/pubs/cdafaq to get a sense of the myths you may have to dispel during the meeting. Also, become familiar with, and take a copy of the VTW Internet Parental Control FAQ to back up claims that there are many parental control devices out there that allow parents to control what their children see on the Internet. It is available from URL:http://www.vtw.org/pubs/ipcfaq.

Are you ready? Ask yourself if you know why no new laws are necessary to control information on the Internet.

If the answer is that current laws about child porn and obscene material extend there already, which, combined with parental control tools, make such unconstitutional laws unnecessary, then you're ready.

RUNNING THE MEETING

Remember that most staffers know nothing about the Internet. You'll have to bring them up to speed on the net, as well as why the net needs no new laws. It's crucial you be polite. This is the first time they've met Internet Voters, and first impressions count.

Dress appropriately, a jacket and tie are not out of the question. Be very polite and patient. Never raise your voice or utter the following phrases during a meeting with a staffer:

"I pay my taxes" or "You work for me, I'm a taxpayer" (We all pay taxes, this is moot)

"I'll make sure you're not re-elected" (They haven't met that many Internet Voters yet to convince themthis might be true)

Make sure everyone has a chance to speak, answer any questions they might have, and then thank the staffer for their time. Leave your name and number so they can call you and ask you any questions they might think of later.

AFTER THE MEETING

Send a thank you letter (faxing it is appropriate). Remember to let VTW know that you had the meeting by sending email to feedback@vtw.org.

ALERT: The Latest News

Just to refresh your memory, the House and Senate passed different pieces of legislation which addressed regulation of the Internet. Some of the legislation promoted a "parental control" approach, where parents, not the government, were the most appropriate to control children's access to speech on the Internet. (This approach was called Cox/Wyden and was approved 421-4 by the House)

Other proposals advocated dumbing down the content of the Internet to that which is acceptable to children, and holding providers responsible for the speech of their users. These approaches were the Communications Decency Act (S314 approved 84-16 by the Senate), and the Manager's Amendment (slipped into the House Telecomm bill at the last second).

Although we are trying very hard to get an electronic copy of the conference report, it's not fast in coming. As soon as we can get a copy into electronic form we'll put it up on several WWW pages.

In the meantime, here's a summary of what the bill looks like.

CRIMINALIZATION OF "INDECENT" MATERIAL

The proposed legislation relies on the unconstitutional "indecency standard". Like the Exon Communications Decency Act, it seeks to regulate all indecent speech online.

Indecency is a broad category that may include everything from George Carlin's "seven dirty words" to such classic novels and "The Catcher in the Rye", "Lady Chatterly's Lover", "The Scarlet Letter", "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", "Our Bodies, Our Selves", Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", and "Catch-22".

The Supreme Court has ruled that restrictions on indecent speech are Constitutional only if they rely on the "least restrictive means". Broad indecency restrictions on interactive media do not satisfy the "least restrictive means" test, because interactive media allows users and parents tremendous control over the information they receive.

The net effect of an indecency restriction would be to tone down every conversation, web page, newsgroup, and mailing list on the Internet to the level of what is not offensive to children.

Even the Department of Justice, who will have to enforce this law once it becomes public, says that the indecency standard is "constitutionally problematic". (Letter from Andrew Fois of US DOJ to Rep. Howard Berman, 12/20/95)

CONTENT PROVIDERS, ONLINE SERVICES, AND LIBRARIES CRIMINALLY LIABLE FOR EXPRESSION ONLINE

Although the proposed legislation tries to hold harmless those who simply function as "pipelines" for Internet access, there are many Internet businesses who act as more than just access providers. Hosting discussion groups, chat rooms, and other additional services, many Internet providers function as content providers as well as simple access providers.

On top of this, the rest of us who provide content on the net (which includes everyone who sends mail, posts to Usenet, puts up a WWW page, maintains an ftp directory, or a gopher page) will fall under the indecency law, and be forced to screen our material and "dumb it down" to the level of what is not offensive to a child.

This will include anything having to do with sexual abuse, abortion, or any strong language.

"GOOD SAMARITAN" PROVISION REMAINS IN BILL

The original Cox/Wyden/White legislation included a "Good Samaritan" provision which said that a provider who takes some actions to police their content cannot be penalized for not taking action in other places.

UNPRECEDENTED CONTROL OVER ONLINE SPEECH FOR THE FCC

The original Cox/Wyden/White bill prohibited FCC jurisdiction over the Internet. This provision has been removed from the proposed legislation, which now leaves the FCC open to make a case for regulating this new medium.

The Internet has developed from a government project to a market-driven economic boom for thousands of businesses. Giving the FCC authority over this medium would significantly hinder the growth of this new industry.

ALERT: Chronology of The Communications Decency Act

Sep 26, '95 Sen. Russ Feingold urges committee members to drop Managers Amendment and the CDA from the Telecommunications Deregulation bill

Aug 4, '95 House passes HR1555 which goes into conference with S652.

Aug 4, '95 House votes to attach Managers Amendment (which contains new criminal penalties for speech online) to Telecommunications Reform bill (HR1555).

Aug 4, '95 House votes 421-4 to attach HR1978 to Telecommunications Reform bill (HR1555).

Jun 30, '95 Cox and Wyden introduce the "Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment Act" (HR 1978) as an alternative to the CDA.

Jun 21, '95 Several prominent House members publicly announce their opposition to the CDA, including Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), and Rep. Ron Wyden (D-OR).

Jun 14, '95 The Senate passes the CDA as attached to the Telecomm reform bill (S 652) by a vote of 84-16. The Leahy bill (S 714) is not passed.

May 24, '95 The House Telecomm Reform bill (HR 1555) leaves committee in the House with the Leahy alternative attached to it, thanks to Rep. Ron Klink of (D-PA). The Communications Decency Act is not attached to it.

Apr 7, '95 Sen. Leahy (D-VT) introduces S.714, an alternative to the Exon/Gorton bill, which commissions the Dept. of Justice to study the problem to see if additional legislation (such as the CDA) is necessary.

Mar 23, '95 S314 amended and attached to the telecommunications reform bill by Sen. Gorton (R-WA). Language provides some provider protection, but continues to infringe upon email privacy and free speech.

Feb 21, '95 HR1004 referred to the House Commerce and Judiciary committees

Feb 21, '95 HR1004 introduced by Rep. Johnson (D-SD)

Feb 1, '95 S314 referred to the Senate Commerce committee

Feb 1, '95 S314 introduced by Sen. Exon (D-NE) and Gorton (R-WA).

ALERT: For More Information

Email:

vtw@vtw.org (put "ipcfaq" in the subject line for the Internet Parental Control FAQ or "send cdafaq" for the CDA FAQ)
cda-info@cdt.org (General CDA information)
cda-stat@cdt.org (Current status of the CDA)

ALERT: List Of Participating Organizations

American Civil Liberties Union * American Communication Association * American Council for the Arts * Arts & Technology Society * biancaTroll productions * Boston Coalition for Freedom of Expression * Californians Against Censorship Together * Center For Democracy And Technology * Centre for Democratic Communications * Center for Public Representation * Citizen's Voice - New Zealand * Cloud 9 Internet *Computer Communicators Association * Computel Network Services * Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility * Cross Connection * Cyber-Rights Campaign * CyberQueer Lounge * Dorsai Embassy * Dutch Digital Citizens' Movement * ECHO Communications Group, Inc. * Electronic Frontier Canada * Electronic Frontier Foundation * Electronic Frontier Foundation - Austin * Electronic Frontiers Australia * Electronic Frontiers Houston * Electronic Frontiers New Hampshire * Electronic Privacy Information Center * Feminists For Free Expression * First Amendment Teach-In * Florida Coalition Against Censorship * FranceCom, Inc. Web Advertising Services * Friendly Anti-Censorship Taskforce for Students * Hands Off! The Net * HotWired Magazine * Inland Book Company * Inner Circle Technologies, Inc. * Inst. for Global Communications * Internet On-Ramp, Inc. * Internet Users Consortium * Joint Artists' and Music Promotions Political Action Committee * The Libertarian Party * Marijuana Policy Project * Metropolitan Data Networks Ltd. * Michigan Electronic Communities of Concerned Adults * MindVox * MN Grassroots Party * National Bicycle Greenway * National Campaign for Freedom of Expression * National Coalition Against Censorship * National Gay and Lesbian Task Force * National Public Telecomputing Network * National Writers Union * Oregon Coast RISC * Panix Public Access Internet * People for the American Way * Republican Liberty Caucus * Rock Out Censorship * Society for Electronic Access * The Thing International BBS Network * The WELL * Web Review Magazine * Wired Magazine * Voters Telecommunications Watch

(Note: All 'Electronic Frontier' organizations are independent entities, not EFF chapters or divisions.)

End Alert

Return to the Table of Contents

Subject: Latest Telecom Bill Provisions Would Cripple Online Free Speech

This latest "indecency" legislation from Congress would impose upon the Internet a vague and unspecified "speech code", chilling freedom of speech among law-abiding citizens while having little or no affect on purveyors of obscenity or child pornography (both of which are already illegal, online or offline, in the US.) The Justice Dept. itself agrees that law enforcement needs no new anti-porn laws for this medium.

Despite the claims of the bill's supporters, this would not be a law limited to pornography or the sexual abuse of children. Instead, the Telecom Bill would criminalize a great range of expression that is legal in media such as books, newspapers, cable television, film and the stage, as well as group conversation and personal correspondence. It would reduce discussion and publication on the Net to what is appropriate for a third-grade classroom. Our government is proposing to regulate the free exchange of ideas. This is unacceptable.

Problems with the legislation include:

1) It would unconstitutionally censor speech on the Internet as if it were a "one-to-many" broadcast medium, despite the fact that less- restrictive means are available to prevent access to sexual (or any other) material - means like ratings, labelling and filtering systems and services. All content and communication on the Net would be placed under the control of the Federal Communications Commission, whose unelected officials in Washington, DC, would set the standards of what is "acceptable" expression online.

2) Anyone who makes so-called indecent content available on the Net in places where children might come across it, would be guilty of a felony and punishable by a jail term and a quarter-million dollar fine. It is as if librarians could be sent to jail simply because a child might come across the King James Bible, or works by Norman Mailer or J.D. Salinger on the library's shelves.

3) The term "indecency" is deliberately left undefined in the statute. This uncertainty will act as a "chilling effect" on the free speech of citizens who are unsure about its meaning, and will retard business and educational investment in the medium.

4) Online services providers would be held liable even if they enable parents and other users to employ filters and labelling systems to block "offensive" content.

5) The statute does not prevent the states from enacting their own censorship laws. This will create legal mayhem, and increase the risk of conflicting regulatory burdens on service providers and users.

In sum, the latest "indecency" proposal has all the problems of previous proposals and adds some new ones. It insists on treating computer networks as if they were like broadcasting, and as if they had what the Supreme Court takes to be broadcasting's unique characteristics of pervasiveness and spectrum scarcity. But the network capacity is not "scarce" in the sense that broadcast frequencies are, and the Net is not "pervasive" in in the sense that content is "pushed" toward a passive audience unable to block unwanted material before receiving it -- on the Net, content is "pulled by the user, who has a widening range of filtration options available.

Thus there is no rationale for this new iteration of the "Communications Decency" legislation, which would transmute a medium that has been the fulfillment of the promise of the First Amendment into a lowest-common- denominator environment fit only for goverment-regulated expression. EFF opposes it, as you should.

If you are interested in discovering what you can do to oppose this legislation, which has not yet been reported out of conference committee, please check the EFF web page (http://www.eff.org/) and the Voters Telecom Watch web page (http://www.vtw.org/). It is not too late to let your Representatives and Senators know that you value the First Amendment online, and that you will not support politicians and policymakers who pass ignorant, ineffective, and destructive laws that do little or nothing to protect children, and that savagely undercut our freedom of speech in the online world.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a non-profit public interest organization devoted to protecting privacy and freedom of expression as new communications technologies emerge.

Contact:

Electronic Frontier Foundation
+1 415 436 9333 (voice)
+1 415 436 9993 (fax)
email: eff@eff.org
1550 Bryant St., Suite 725
San Francisco CA 94103 USA

Return to the Table of Contents

Subject: Guest editorial: "Nanny on the Net", by Rep Anna Eshoo (D-CA)

Despite all the talk about "getting government off our backs," some conservatives are now trying to have it intrude in our private lives. Ironically, they are using the Internet itself to promote censorship of the Information Superhighway and encourage Congress to turn the federal government into an online nanny.

On November 30, 1995, the Christian Coalition posted an "Action Alert" on its home page urging its supporters to call, fax, and send letters to "the House and Senate members who will decide whether or not kids will continue to get easy access to hard core porn" on the Internet "and urge them to support the only proposal that gets tough on porn, the Hyde proposal."

As one of the House members appointed to the Telecommunications Reform Conference Committee, I'm very familiar with Rep. Hyde's legislation. He wants to establish a penalty of two years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines for anyone sending "indecent" material on the Internet. In addition, he seeks to hold online services--like CompuServe--and their users criminally liable for the content that is transmitted by such services, even in areas of these services beyond their control. Yes, his provision gets tough on pornography. But it also trashes the Constitution in the process and curbs free speech in the United States.

First, the "indecency" standard is so vague that it creates an unprecedented criminal situation in which people and organizations will be violating the law for private expressions that are in no sense pornographic. Great works of literature like Ulysses or Catcher In The Rye could be banned from the Net, as could individual conversations that include profane comments or deal with mature topics that may be considered unsuitable for children. This is the cyberspace equivalent of book burning and should be rejected outright.

Second, if members of the Christian Coalition wish to stay on a strictly family friendly diet of reading material, it is their privilege and anyone else's. They shouldn't be able to impose their ideological and moral standards on others or get Washington to do their bidding for them. The Hyde proposal opens the door for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to engage in broad-based regulation of the Internet. It would place the federal government in the position of reviewing private communications between individuals. We don't let the Postal Service read our letters, and we shouldn't let the FCC screen our e-mail either.

Third, high technology businesses are vulnerable to lawsuits or criminal prosecution under the Hyde proposal. For example, Netscape provides customers with "browsing" software that enables them to jump from network to network over the World Wide Web. The company's executives have no control over where their customers go, but under the Hyde plan, they can get thrown in prison if people wander in the wrong direction. That makes as much sense as arresting a telephone operator because someone makes an obscene phone call.

Fourth, successful U.S. government censorship of the Net is a doubtful proposition. The Internet is not an American government network, nor is it a network solely owned or controlled by American companies. Because the Net is a private, global network, it's unlikely that censorship by a government agency will accomplish the goals set out by proponents of federal intrusion.

To get a glimpse of government nannies in action, one need look no further than the recent decision by CompuServe to block subscriber access to more than 200 computer discussion groups and picture data bases. The online company was ordered to take this drastic action by a prosecutor in Germany who said the material in question violates German pornography laws and other prohibitions against explicit materials deemed harmful to minors and adults.

On the day that they were banned, the Electronic Frontier Foundation posted a list of these newsgroups on its home page. Among the items that CompuServe is being forced to hide from its four million users are serious discussions about Internet censorship legislation pending in Congress, thoughtful postings about human rights and marriage, and a support group for gay and lesbian youth. Banning this material doesn't protect minors and adults--but it does have a chilling effect on political and social discussion in a free society.

The German experience should serve as a warning to Congress about the consequences of online censorship and government intrusion in our lives. If the Christian Coalition and its conservative allies really want to help parents stop their children from reading objectionable material, they should encourage the use of software developed by private companies that will give them the power to determine what is accessible on their computers. According to the Interactive Working Group, America Online and Prodigy offer technologies that allow parents to block their children's access to certain online forums where they might find inappropriate materials. Further, a variety of software developers have produced parental control features for home PCs, while schools and businesses have the ability to block specific sites from access by underage Internet users.

If ever a piece of legislation deserved to be deleted from a democratic political system, the Hyde proposal is it. While the problem of children being exposed to pornography is a legitimate issue that society must address in a responsible manner, control of the Internet belongs in the hands of mom and dad, not Uncle Sam.

Anna Eshoo represents California's 14th Congressional District.

Return to the Table of Contents

Subject: EFF Named Beneficiary of 8th Annual Digital Be-In (Jan. 11)

SAN FRANCISCO, CA Verbum's ever-evolving Digital Be-In, now in its eighth year, migrates into cyberspace with a pioneering live netcast of the January 11 event. Inspired by the seminal January 1967 Human Be-In and the counter- cultural origins of the personal computer and digital media revolutions, the 90s Be-In showcases humanistic applications of digital technology and the aesthetics of the future. Scheduled during MacWorld Expo from 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. on January 11, 1996 at the Transmission Theater, 314 11th Street in San Francisco, the Digital Be-In is open to the public, with tickets $15 in advance and $20 at the door, available at all Bay Area BASS ticket outlets, 510-762-BASS, at the Verbum Booth #4474 at MacWorld Expo, or by calling 415 - 777-9901.

The event will benefit the Electronic Frontier Foundation, recently relocated to San Francisco from Washington, D.C. The EFF was founded by John Perry Barlow, Mitch Kapor and John Gilmore, is the leading public advocacy group for citizen rights in the emerging media.

The Be-In is produced by San Francisco-based multimedia publisher Verbum, Inc. Sponsors include Progressive Networks (makers of Real Audio), MacWorld Expo, Fujitsu TeleParc internet magazine, Equilibrium (makers of DeBabelizer software), Chi Pants, Pop Rocket, Imaja, Micro Publishing News, MicroTimes, BAM, and ISP Networks.

LAUNCH OF THE BE-IN WEBSITE

The Be-In internet site (http://www.be-in.com/) will be the source of a live netcast of the January 11 event, which will utilize continuously updated pages and live audio feeds. Video clips will be available to download, and CU-SeeMe live video will be used to bring participants such as Timothy Leary to the event from remote locations. The website includes a Mind Meld area where visitors can participate in the development of the Be-In and the ideas surrounding it, and the Real-Time Be-In, which simulates the actual live venue, allowing visitors to experience different areas of the Be-In as if they were actually present. Executive Producer Michael Gosney expects that this years Be-In will continue the tradition of thought-provoking content and great entertainment with the added dimension of the innovative netcast made possible by several talented individuals and groups working together to create something truly original on the net. The Be-In website will continue evolving, both as a community of ideas, and, eventually, into a fully immersive navigable 3D environment.

MUSIC, MINDS AND BLENDO

Show highlights include musical performances by The Venusians, Haunted by Waters, tantric dancer Daniella Haskara, and the usual expected surprise appearances; readings by leading San Francisco poets Allen Cohen (with musical accompaniment by George Michalski), Neeli Cherkovski, Jack Foley, Genny Lin, Julia Vinograd and Bart Alberti; appearances by Timothy Leary, John Barlow, Paolo Soleri, R.U. Sirius, EFF Staff Counsel Mike Godwin and many others.

The musical performances will be enhanced with the Be-In's popular blendo visual accompaniment by several leading digital artists, including Denise Gallant and Peter Towbin.

THE DIGITAL FRONTIER: OPEN SCREENS, VR, FINE ART, GLOBAL NETS

In addition to the performances, the Be-In will again feature the popular Digital Frontier, where pioneering digital media applications are showcased, with an emphasis on aesthetics and thoughtful content. This year, the Frontier incorporates a special edition of Gulture Enterprises monthly Open Screens forum of film, video, computer and animation works.

Other highlights include VR the World, a collection of cutting edge virtual reality exhibits organized by CyberEdge Journal, The Art-ROM Room selection of limited edition fine art multimedia works on CD-ROM collected by Beverly Reiser and Lucia Grossberger; an interactive exhibit by IGC Networks, who manage Womens Net, PeaceNet, EcoNet, ConflictNet and LaborNet; and a Digital Art Exhibit of works by Bert Monroy, a futurespective of editorial art from MONDO 2000 magazine, and the winners of the Micro Publishing News digital illustration competition sponsored by Digital Pond of San Francisco.

THE BE-IN WEBSITE AND LIVE NETCAST

For the precedent-setting netcast, Verbum's team of producers and cyber- reporters will be working with MediaCast, a San Francisco firm specialized in live internet events, ISP Networks, a Bay Area internet service provider, and Progressive Networks, creators of RealAudio technology. Verbum's site, optimized for the Netscape Navigator 2.0 browser, has been designed to allow for continuous uploading of images and text, which form a time capsule of the entire event. Real Audio, a compression system which allows high-quality audio streaming (uploaded to the user on demand, as opposed to being downloaded and then played) wil be used to continuously broadcast entertainment and interviews during the event, including the commentary of Be-In hosts and MCs. The netcast will also utilize CU-See-Me, a video conferencing software that includes black and white or color video with monaural audio, and M-Bone, a broad bandwidth broadcast featuring full-motion color video and high fidelity audio. QuickTime videos and audio clips will be available for downloading, and the site will include of hotlinks to related websites. Tokyo's TeleParc online magazine will carry the event with Japanese reportage for viewers in the Far East. The Digital Art Be-In is produced by multimedia publisher Verbum, which has developed magazines, books, and multimedia CD-ROMs for creative professionals working with digital media since its founding by Michael Gosney in 1986. Verbum's current Multimedia Power Tools Second Edition book/CD-ROM (Random House), Desktop Color Book Second Edition (MIT Press), and The Official Photo CD Handbook book with 2 CDs (Peachpit Press), are leading resources for the new wave of digital design and multimedia production. Verbum's Digital Be- In has been produced every year since 1988, sponsored by prominent hardware and software vendors.

According to Gosney, "We're not about left or right politics, we're about taking the ideals and visions that emerged in the contradictory ferment of the 60s and translating them into evolutionary tools for the human race. The 60s spawned a community of hackers and artists that eventually gave birth to the personal computer, and is now creating the advanced software and integrated media technologies that give substance to the information superhighway rhetoric. The Be-In celebrates the collective genius of those who are creating the new media, and encourages conscience and vision in its global, democratic implementation.

HISTORY

The Human Be-In: Spark of the Counterculture

A Gathering of the Tribes for a Human Be-In, announced on the cover of the new issue of the San Francisco Oracle, would feature Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Richard (Ram Dass) Alpert, Dick Gregory, Lenore Kandel, Jerry Ruben, and All SF Rock Bands January 14, 1967, 1 to 5 pm in Golden Gate Park. 30,000 people showed up.

The Be-In focused the key ideas of the 1960s counter-culture: personal power, decentralization, ecological awareness, consciousness expansion. More encompassing than a war protest movement, the counter culture questioned authority in regard to civil rights, women's rights, and consumer rights, shaped its own alternative media - the underground newspapers and radio stations, and spawned new directions in music, art, and technology.

In the 1970s, the dynamic San Francisco area milieu, blending Silicon Valley with Haight Ashbury and Berkeley, gave birth to the personal computer the ultimate gesture of personal power, counter to the then-prevailing main frame computer paradigm that implied centralized authority.

VerbumD5s Digital Be-Ins

The Digital Be-Ins, held each January in San Francisco during MacWorld Expo, bring together and celebrate the Bay Area and international community of artists, programmers, technology visionaries and entrepreneurs whose work with digital media is transforming the worlds of publishing, video and music production, education, training and ultimately mass communication and entertainment. This community of talented, driven, dedicated people is contributing in an essential way to the development of a worldwide, multilingual digital network its interfaces and architectures and the new multimedia content forms that will move through it.

For further information: please see the Be-In WWW Site at http://www.be-in.com/, and/or contact Veronika Hausle of Verbum at 415-777-9901 or 777-0665, mail@verbum.com; Queenie Taylor at 415-380-8068; or Bob Gelman at 415-728-7778, cyberguy@well.com.

Return to the Table of Contents

Subject: Upcoming Events

Jan. 11 8th Annual Digital Be-In Multimedia Concert, Exhibition and EFF Benefit
Transmission Theater, 11th & Folsom, San Francisco Calif.
Sponsored by Verbum, Mac World, et al. Speakers will include EFF co-founder and boardmember John Perry Barlow, EFF staff counsel Mike Godwin, Paolo Soleri, Timothy Leary, R.U. Sirius (Mondo 2000), plus various performances and exhibits. Along with the meatspace event, the Be-In will be Cybercast, so that anyone may participate virtually. See the web page for more info.
Contact: +1 415 777 9901; tickets: +1 510 762 2277
Email: mail@verbum.com
URL: http://www.be-in.com/

UniForum Security Seminar; Westin Hotel, Santa Clara, Calif.
Speakers will include EFF co-founder and boardmember John Gilmore, Whit Diffie (Sun Microsystems), Web Augustine (Verisign), Chini Kirshna (Terisa Systems), Taher El Gamal (Netscape). Topics include encryption & security, electronic commerce, social implications of cryptography, and digital certificates & identification.
Contact: 1 800 255-5620 x30 (voice, US-only)
+1 408 986 8840 x30 (voice, world)
URL: http://www.uniforum.org/

Jan. 17 - 18 Innovation Now; Oregon Convention Center, Portland Oregon.
Sponsored by American Electronics Association's Oregon Council, et al. Speakers include EFF chair of the board Esther Dyson.
URL: http://www.innovationnow.org/

Jan. 18 HotWired Electronic Frontiers Forum; online event, 7pm PST
"speak"ers will include EFF-Austin directors, on grassroots organizing. Users can participate via either WWW (http://www.hotwired.com/club/) or telnet (chat.wired.com 2428).
URL: http://www.hotwired.com/club/

Jan. 25 HotWired Electronic Frontiers Forum; online event, 7pm PST
"speak"ers will include Steve Jackson, on events since the raid and the SJG v. USSS case. See Jan. 18 event for more info.

Feb. 1 HotWired Electronic Frontiers Forum; online event, 7pm PST
"speak"ers will include Bob Anderson & Ed Stastny, on cyberarts & censorship. See Jan. 18 event for more info.

Feb. 8 HotWired Electronic Frontiers Forum; online event, 7pm PST
"speak"ers will include EFF staff counsel Mike Godwin, on censorship, privacy, the Marty Rimm/Time/CMU scandal, and more. See Jan. 18 event for more info.

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Subject: Quote of the Day

"Photons have neither morality nor visas."
- David Farber, EFF boardmember and U. of Penn. professor

Find yourself wondering if your privacy and freedom of speech are safe when bills to censor the Internet are swimming about in a sea of of surveillance legislation and anti-terrorism hysteria? Worried that in the rush to make us secure from ourselves that our government representatives may deprive us of our essential civil liberties? Concerned that legislative efforts nominally to "protect children" will actually censor all communications down to only content suitable for the playground? Alarmed by commercial and religious organizations abusing the judicial and legislative processes to stifle satire, dissent and criticism?

Join EFF!

Even if you don't live in the U.S., the anti-Internet hysteria will soon be visiting a legislative body near you. If it hasn't already.

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Subject: What YOU Can Do

The Communications Decency Act and similar legislation pose serious threats to freedom of expression online, and to the livelihoods of system operators. The legislation also undermines several crucial privacy protections.

Business/industry persons concerned should alert their corporate govt. affairs office and/or legal counsel. Everyone should write to their own Representatives and Senators, and visit them in their home offices this month, asking them to oppose Internet censorship legislation. Urge them to ensure that system operators not be held liable for crimes they did not commit, and that the FCC be barred from regulating the Internet. See the first three articles in this newsletter for more detailed info.

For more information on what you can do to help stop this and other dangerous legislation, see:

If you do not have full internet access (e.g. WWW), send your request for information to ask@eff.org.

The FBI is now seeking both funding for the DT/CALEA wiretapping provisions, and preparing to require that staggering numbers of citizens be simultaneously wiretappable.

To oppose the funding, write to your own Senators and Representatives urging them to vote against any appropriations for wiretapping. To oppose the FBI's wiretapping capacity demands, see the FBI Federal Register notice at the end of the second article in this newsletter, which contains instructions on how to submit formal comments on the ludicrous and dangerous proposal - DEADLINE: Jan. 96!

Numerous bills threatening your privacy and free speech have been introduced this year. None of them are close to passage at this very moment, but this status may change. Urge your Congresspersons to oppose these unconstitutional and Big-Brotherish bills.

This bill is unlikely to pass in any form, being very poorly drafted, and without much support. However, the CDA is just as bad and passed with flying colors [the jolly roger?] in the Senate. It's better to be safe than sorry. If you have a few moments to spare, writing to, faxing, or calling your Congresspersons to urge opposition to this bill is a good idea. If you only have time to do limited activism, please concentrate on the Internet censorship legislation instead. That legislation is far more imminent that the AERA.

Several bills relating to medical privacy issues are floating in Congress right now. Urge your legislators to support only proposals that truly enhance the medical privacy of citizens.

More information on this legislation will be available at http://www.eff.org/pub/Privacy/Medical/ soon. Bug mech@eff.org to make it appear there faster. :)

Writing letters to, faxing, and phoning your representatives in Congress is one very important strategy of activism, and an essential way of making sure YOUR voice is heard on vital issues.

EFF has lists of the Senate and House with contact information, as well as lists of Congressional committees. (A House list is included in this issue of EFFector). These lists are available at:

The full Senate and House lists are senate.list and hr.list, respectively. Those not in the U.S. should seek out similar information about their own legislative bodies. EFF will be happy to archive any such information provided.

If you are having difficulty determining who your Representatives are, try contacting your local League of Women Voters, who maintain a great deal of legislative information, or consult the free ZIPPER service that matches Zip Codes to Congressional districts with about 85% accuracy at http://www.stardot.com/~lukeseem/zip.html

You know privacy, freedom of speech and ability to make your voice heard in government are important. You have probably participated in our online campaigns and forums. Have you become a member of EFF yet? The best way to protect your online rights is to be fully informed and to make your opinions heard. EFF members are informed and are making a difference. Join EFF today!

For EFF membership info, send queries to membership@eff.org, or send any message to info@eff.org for basic EFF info, and a membership form.

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Administrivia

The Electronic Frontier Foundation
1667 K St. NW, Suite 801
Washington DC 20006-1605 USA
+1 202 861 7700 (voice)
+1 202 861 1258 (fax)
+1 202 861 1223 (BBS - 16.8k ZyXEL)
+1 202 861 1224 (BBS - 14.4k V.32bis)
Membership & donations: membership@eff.org
Legal services: ssteele@eff.org
Hardcopy publications: pubs@eff.org
General EFF, legal, policy or online resources queries: ask@eff.org

Editor: Stanton McCandlish, Online Services Mgr./Activist/Archivist (mech@eff.org)
This newsletter printed on 100% recycled electrons.

Reproduction of this publication in electronic media is encouraged. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of EFF. To reproduce signed articles individually, please contact the authors for their express permission. Press releases and EFF announcements may be reproduced individ- ually at will.

To subscribe to EFFector via email, send message body of "subscribe effector-online" (without the "quotes") to listserv@eff.org, which will add you to a subscription list for EFFector.

Back issues are available at:

ftp.eff.org,/pub/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/
gopher.eff.org,1/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/

HTML editions available at:

http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/HTML/ at EFFweb.

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