Censorship
CensorshipIn September censors in Singapore will trying to prevent the 120,000 Internet users on that island from accessing Web sites that carry pornographic material, discussions of banned topics (including race and religion), or criticism of the government. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution 15 Aug 96 C3, copyright EDUCAUSE 15 August 96, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
In an attack on the country's political dissidents, the military regime in Burma has outlawed the unauthorized possession of a computer with networking capability, and prison terms of 7 to 15 years in prison may be imposed on those who evade the law or who are found guilty of using a computer to send or receive information on such topics as state security, the economy and national culture. (Financial Times 5 Oct 96, copyright EDUCAUSE 6 October 96, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
With access to the Internet increasing in Iran, the government there is trying to centralize all access through the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in order to ban sites of the Mujahedeen Khalq and other opposition groups, as well as sites of the B'ahai religion, pornography, or "Western propaganda." A senior Iranian official says: "There is stuff on the Internet that people have access to that is as offensive as 'The Satanic Verses' and it is updated every day. We believe a certain level of decency must be provided." (New York Times 8 Oct 96, copyright EDUCAUSE 8 Oct 96, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The European Commission has recommended a voluntary code of conduct on the Internet, and suggests that increased use of software labeling and filtering systems could be used to stop the spread of offensive electronic material. "The problem right now is that the labeling and filtering systems are not compatible," says a Commission spokesman, who notes that the new Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS) is the best candidate for becoming a universal filtering standard. In addition, a Commission report says that "a common European framework to clarify the administrative rules and regulations which apply to access providers and host providers should be assessed... In order to ensure that users have access to rating systems suitable to their needs and in order to avoid a situation whereby they have to rely on rating systems developed for the U.S. where there may be a different approach on what is suitable content for minors, encouragement should be given to setting up European rating system." (BNA Daily Report for Executives 17 Oct 96, copyright EDUCAUSE 22 October 96, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
Canada's federal regulator says it may regulate content on the Internet to provide for more Canadian content. (Ottawa Citizen 15 Nov 96, copyright EDUCAUSE 19 Nov 1996, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Electronic Network Council, chaired by NEC Corp., are working together to develop filtering systems that will deny access to crime, sex and violence-related Internet sites. They also plan to experiment with "smart" chips that automatically block access to objectionable sites, unless the user enters a special password. Separately, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications has urged Internet providers to prepare their own Internet rating guidelines, similar to the U.S. Platform for Internet Content Selection (PICS), and has also recommended using filters to eliminate electronic smut. Japanese officials emphasize that the government "is not in the position to force the use of the filtering system," on Internet users, and that it supports "total" freedom of information. (BNA Daily Report for Executives 30 Jan 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 2 Feb 97, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
A group of parents in Columbus, Ohio, wants that state's legislators to require pornography-screening software for a new system that will tie together the state's 700 public libraries to the Internet. The group, called Citizens for the Protection of Children, says children should be protected from material on the Internet that depicts rape, torture or mutilation, and "chat line" overtures by pedophiles. A number of Ohio librarians have said the screening is too close to censorship and should be opposed. (AP 16 May 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 18 May 97, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The Chinese government has issued a detailed list of computer crimes, which include the use of the Internet to defame government agencies, "split the country" (by encouraging supporters of the Dalai Lama or of independence for Taiwan), divulge state secrets, transmit or receive pornography, or break into networked computers. A government official justified the new rules by saying that "the safe and effective management of computer information networks is a prerequisite for the smooth implementation of the country's modernization drive." (New York Times 31 Dec 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 4 January 98, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The Internet has given higher education institutions something new to worry about. Peter Burke, an attorney in the technology practice group of the Atlanta & Washington law firm Powell-Goldstein, says: "Universities are concerned about libel and slander. By operating e-mail systems, does the university become responsible for what gets posted there?" Burke says that universities and colleges are walking the tightrope between censorship and free speech, because what some may say is offensive, others argue is free speech. "Do we have people deciding what ideas are good or bad? 'Don't say that, it might offend somebody? We'd rather you speak good ideas so everyone is happy?'" (AP 14 Mar 98, copyright EDUCAUSE 15 March 98, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit human rights organization, is marketing Internet filter software that screens out sites devoted to anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and other forms of bigotry. If a user attempts to call up a site with objectionable content, the software displays a page that says "Hate Zone. Access Restricted." The filter is based on technology developed by Cyber Patrol, and sells for $29.95 for the first three months, and $29.95 for each year thereafter. A spokeswoman for the Anti-Defamation League says the price is intended to offset the costs of development and maintaining the filter, not to generate a profit. (New York Times 12 Nov 98, copyright EDUCAUSE 12 November 98, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
A federal judge Thursday issued a temporary restraining order, delaying the U.S. Justice Department from enforcing the Child Online Protection Act until at least Dec. 4. The injunction came in response to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, as well as publishers like Time Warner and the New York Times. The law requires commercial Web sites to ensure that they are not transmitting material that could be "harmful to minors." Sites requiring a credit card for access or that use an online age-verification service would be exempt. The plaintiffs say the law is too broad and infringes on free speech rights. (TechWeb 29 Nov 98, copyright EDUCAUSE 22 November 98, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
Greg Taylor of the Electronic Frontiers Australia charges that the real effect of a new bill to curb children's access to pornography on the Net "is to restrict the rights of adults and stifle commercial activity on the Internet, while having little effect in protecting children from unsavory material." The sponsor of the bill, of course, sees it otherwise; he is Senator Richard Alston, a Liberal Party member who is also Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. Alston's challenge to the opposing Labor Party is: "The issue is very simple: Labor either supports measures to protect children from pedophiles and drug pushers on the Internet or Labor does not support the need to protect children. Which is it?" The bill in question would create a new governmental bureau charged with forcing Australian Internet service providers to remove objectionable material from Australian sites and to block access to similar sites overseas. Anti-censorship street rallies are being held throughout Australia with the theme, "Throw Another Book on the Barbie." (New York Times Cybertimes 25 May 99, courtesy 26 May 1999 NEWSSCAN) http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/05/cyber/articles/26australia.html
Describing their action as a way of "standardizing" the city's public Internet cafes, Shanghai officials implemented "Public Action Number One" to close 278 unregistered cafes that offer public access to the Internet. The crackdown comes around the 10th anniversary of the Beijing repression of pro-democracy protests in June 1989, and the Chinese government clearly fears that the explosive growth of the Internet in that country will diminish its control over information available to its citizens. The number of Internet users in China is expected to grow from two million to 10 million over the course of the next year. (Reuters/SJMN 4 Jun 99, courtesy 4 June 1999 NewsScan) http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/012490.htm
Reporters Sans Frontiers, a Paris-based organization that promotes press freedom, has compiled a Top-20 list of countries that severely restrict citizens' access to information on the Internet. They are: Azerbaijan, Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Libya, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Most of the countries named have state-owned Internet service providers that filter and censor Web sites for their citizens, and more repressive regimes, like Burma's, require computer owners to register with the government. A few, like North Korea and Iraq, have almost no Internet access at all. And in Saudi Arabia, the Internet is viewed as "a harmful force for Westernizing people's minds." (Investor's Business Daily 19 Aug 99, courtesty 19 August 1999 NewsScan)
Under a new law passed by the Turkish parliament, Web site operators publishing "untrue news, insults and similar material" are subject to fines of up to $85,000. An earlier draft of the law would have required owners of Web sites to provide local prosecutors printed copies of the site every day. (AP/Salon 7 Jun 2001, courtesy 8 June 2001 NewsScan)
PoliciesThe ribbon on the 104th Congress had barely been cut and newly anointed Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was already sounding a clarion call for a "wired" Congress.
In those heady opening days of the Republican Revolution, Gingrich was reciting passages from Alvin Toffler's Third Wave as if it were an addendum to the Constitution. To me it was a breath of fresh air. Finally, someone in Congress gets it. I figured the net community might just be able to ride this rhetoric like some god-send hobby horse.
In that opening month, Gingrich unveiled the Thomas online system to great fanfare. He vowed all congressional products would be online, available for downloading. This, he claimed, would allow "ordinary Americans" to "bypass" the "media elite" of the Washington press corps. Thomas was, Gingrich admitted, a "work in progress." And with that, he cut a red ribbon- literally-while adoring fans and a skeptical press corps snapped pictures at the ceremony held in the Library of Congress.
But that's where things stopped. The promise of Thomas has turned out to be more platitudes than product. That promise remains unfulfilled today and in some ways, Thomas is even less efficient that the day it was rolled out. For example, you can no longer ftp copies of actual bills as you once could, making it a chore to get a complete copy.
I should have known better than to be sucked in by the cyberhype, but the fact is, I was reeled in like a trout. An unfulfilled Thomas was just an omen for a Congress that has become increasingly hostile to all things cyberspace.
Adding insult to injury, the well-hyped, supposedly info-savvy Clinton administration, as it turns our, is sweetheart when it comes to cyberspace.
A reality check of the first four years of the Clinton administration, with Congress as supporting cast, reveals a mind- numbing laundry list of wrong-headed and at times, openly hostile actions vis-a-vis cyberspace and its so-called neitzens.
Clinton administration examples include not considering email as a real record as can a piece of paper; therefore its not obtainable under the Freedom of Information Act. A court case defeated this policy.
The Clipper Chip proposal to use government-developed scrambling devices which would allow all kinds of law enforcement agencies to obtain the decoding key to any of your messages scrambled with the chip.
The Communications Decency Act was an all out frontal assault on the First Amendment rights, as applied to electronic communications on the Internet. Subsequently overturned by a U.S. District Court.
The Wired Congress: A congressional hearing touted as a look at the "cyber Congress" of the 21st century turned out to be "remarkable for its undemocratic rumblings," as Gary Ruskin, director of the Congressional Accountability Project put it. Although the event ran with an impressive display of high-tech gear the actual verbiage from the Congress members themselves was stunningly anti-technology. They displayed an unabashed fear and loathing of all things cyberspace.
House Rules Committee Guidelines: In June of 1996 the GOP leadership of the House Rules Committee rewrote the guidelines for committee use of the Internet. Those rules turn out to be a kind of de facto censorship, stating that the minority party, the Democrats in this case, are forbidden from setting up their own Web page with a distinct URL. The only way the minority committee members can operate a Web page is if they link it from the majority committee's page.
Not all in Congress are clueless or simply full of hip- sounding rhetoric. Enter the Internet Caucus. This bi-partisan effort was co-founded by Rep. White (R-Wash) and Sen. Leahy (D- Vt.), two of Congress' brightest stars on cyberspace issues.
(Communications of the ACM, September 1996)
A U.S. Justice Department legal brief filed with the Supreme Court last week cites the educational value of the Internet in its argument for banning "indecent" material: "Much of the Internet's potential as an educational and informational resource will be wasted," says the statement, "if people are unwilling to avail themselves of its benefits because they do not want their children harmed by exposure to patently offensive sexually explicit material." Therefore, it concluded the government has a "compelling interest in furthering the First Amendment interest of all Americans to use what has become an unparalleled educational resource... It is better to place some burdens and costs on those who disseminate patently offensive material through use of a new and rapidly changing technology than it is to leave children unprotected." A lawyer for the ACLU, which has challenged the law, called the government's argument "outrageous" and "oxymoronic." (Chronicle of Higher Education 31 Jan 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 30 Jan 97, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
European regulators, police forces and Internet service providers say that even if the Communications Decency Act had withstood Supreme Court scrutiny, it still will require international action to effectively regulate Internet content. However, the Court's action may spur other nations to begin developing their own laws: "This should be a signal to European policy makers that the CDA cannot be used anymore as an excuse to implement tough regulations in Europe," says the managing director of a Dutch Internet service provider. "The CDA intended to implement measures that would change the Internet we know and love into a kindergarten. Of course we need to address the issues of illegal and harmful content, but one should not overreact and try to fight the Internet, its users and its industry." "Regulating content on the Internet is partly about establishing rules about knowledge, responsibility and control of content -- and to do that effectively you need international cooperation," says a new media attorney at a London law firm. "Because of the international nature of networks like the Internet, there has to be a balance struck between national laws establishing responsibility for the content of electronic messages. That requires international treaties and cooperation between governments." (TechWire 28 Jun 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 29 June 97, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE) http://www.techweb.com/wire/news/
Government officials from Europe, the U.S., Canada, Japan and Russia have been meeting together with online service providers in Bonn, Germany to discuss ways of regulating the Internet without stifling its growth. "We need a minimum of clear rules as quickly as possible so that the users and suppliers of material on the Internet can finally enjoy greater legal certainty," said the German Economics Minister, reflecting the strong regulatory mood in the German government, which last week passed a comprehensive Internet law. Meanwhile, an America Online VP told the meeting, "We can and must break the regulatory cycle that has trapped each new electronic medium this century." AOL has advocated a self-policing policy for online providers. Both sides agreed that it is important to encourage an online environment that's hospitable to electronic commerce and other business functions. (USA Today 7 Jul 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 8 July 97, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
European Union officials have issued a broad declaration touching on 69 points related to future regulation of the Internet in Europe. The declaration is the result of intense discussions among delegates from 29 European countries over two days. On the issue of content liability, delegates agreed that what is illegal off-line is also illegal online. Internet service providers generally aren't responsible for what their subscribers do, and shouldn't be subject to "unreasonable, disproportionate or discriminatory rules." In addition, the declaration states that Europeans support the ideal of nondiscriminatory taxes on Internet use, but stops short of declaring it a free-trade zone. Value-added taxes and other sales taxes that apply to goods purchased in stores should apply to products and services ordered and delivered over the Internet. With regard to encryption, the U.S. and Europe still have differences over the export of strong encryption technology, but U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley says the U.S. agrees with about 98% of the Bonn declaration. (Computerworld 9 Jul 97, copyright EDUCAUSE 10 July 97, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
Because he believes the Internet is spurring the growth of new industries and helping create a new economy based on high technology, President Clinton is opposing the National Governors' Association's call to Congress to enact legislation for a uniform system to collect state taxes on sales conducted via Internet. The Governors say that without such legislation the states will increasingly be deprived of a valuable source of revenue, but Clinton supports a moratorium on taxing Internet commerce, to allow for long-term discussion of the issues. (New York Times 26 Feb 98, copyright EDUCAUSE 26 February 98, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The European Commission's proposed directive on electronic commerce has sparked a debate between the EC's internal-market directorate, which is supporting the notion that providers of goods and service be regulated in their "country of origin," and the consumer directorate, which fears such a rule will encourage companies to set up shop in countries with the least rigorous consumer protections. Given the uneven consumer protection laws across Europe, "what the commission is proposing -- a unilateral country-of-origin principle -- is something we cannot accept," says the legal advisor to the European Consumers Association. An internal-market directorate official counters, "We have done a survey that shows that it is impossible to design Web sites that comply with very distinct national laws in 15 countries. What happens under that scenario is that small and medium-size businesses don't go online or they issue disclaimers on their Web sites saying, 'This service is not available outside of my home country.' Clearly, this is not in the interest of consumers." (Wall Street Journal 19 Oct 98, copyright EDUCAUSE 20 October 1998, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The Canadian government has decided against regulating the Internet, according to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The CRTC is in charge of the Broadcast Act, which requires that up to 60 percent of all music and television broadcast in the country must be Canadian- created. The Commission had previously discussed applying the quotas to the Internet, but CRTC vice-chair David Colville said yesterday that the commission will never play any type of role in the development of the Internet in Canada. The announcement was greeted enthusiastically by Canada's Internet industry, although some were critical of the amount of time (10 months) it took the commission to make its decision. The commission cited the large amount of textual material on the Internet as a factor in its decision. Text is not covered by the Broadcasting Act. (Wired News 05/17/99, copyright EDUCAUSE 19 May 1999, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The government called "Time Out!" just hours after its announcement of a joint venture by U.S. Commerce Department and search-engine developer Northern Light Technology to offer a fee- based computer search engine to search and retrieve 3.8 million federal Web pages plus some archive data not on the Internet. Gary Ruskin of the Congressional Accountability Project complained government officials "don't put the most important information --drafts of bills, court decisions, searchable databases of voting records --on the Internet. Taxpayers should be able to find and read this information without paying fees." But attorney Mel Maguire, who represents banking and financial institutions, defends the value-added benefits of the search service: "There's so much information --s ome organized, some not -- and my clients want to get the latest federal information." (Knight Ridder/San Jose Mercury News 17 May 99, courtesy 18 May 1999 NewsScan) http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/002738.htm
With the Interpol international law enforcement agency calling it responsible for 70-80% of all the child pornography available on the Internet, Japan has passed a law that will punish those guilty of paying for sex with children younger than 18 and that bans the sale, distribution, production, possession, import and export of child pornography. The law was a victory for a group of women legislators who have fought for its passage for two years; it was a defeat for those who argued that the ban would inhibit free speech. A Franciscan priest told policymakers that Japanese parents were angry that their children stumbled across pornography in the course of doing innocent searches (on phrases like "Japanese teens" or "Japanese dolls"), and added: "It's disgusting what you can find on the Internet without even trying." (New York Times 19 May 99, courtesy 19 May 1999 NewsScan) http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/051999japan- sex-law.html
China says it will begin enforcing its ban on foreign investment in its Internet activities, which are now partly owned by foreign firms and run by staffs that include foreigners. Minister of Information Industry Wu Jichuan claimed (without further explanation) the Internet policy excluding foreign participation had been misinterpreted, and added: "China's government still needs to strengthen its management over the information content business." (AP/San Jose Mercury News 14 Sep 99, courtesy 14 September 1999 NewsScan) http://www.sjmercury.com/svtech/news/breaking/merc/docs/070065.htm
Kansas and three other states--North Carolina, Michigan, and Wisconsin--are the guinea pigs in a National Governors Association experiment to collect Internet sales taxes. "State governments are going to have to come to grips with the fact that the sales tax base is being eroded by Internet sales," said Kansas Revenue Secretary Karla Pierce. The Kansas Revenue Department claims that online sales are costing the state anywhere from $2 to $5 million a year in uncollected revenues, losses that threaten to snowball to $50 million annually within the next four years, according to state officials' estimates. (Associated Press, 30 October 2000, copyright 1 November 2000 EDUCAUSE, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which represents 30 leading industrialized nations, says its members have reached a landmark agreement that defines how countries should tax business conducted over the Internet. Tax experts say the deal marks an important milestone, but that wealthy nations need to hold further talks to develop a comprehensive approach to e-commerce taxation. The OECD's committee on fiscal affairs ruled that doing business through a Web site would not leave a company liable to taxation in the country from which the Web site had been accessed. The exemption from liability applies even if the company's Web site is hosted by a third party, such as an ISP. But the committee ruled that a company should generally pay tax in countries hosting servers through which the business was conducted. A company would be liable for paying tax if the server were performing functions that formed a core part of the business activity, such as downloading software. Jacques Sasseville, head of the OECD's tax treaty unit, said the consensus marked an interim solution and that more clarification would be necessary. (Financial Times 11 Jan 2000, courtesy 11 January 2001 NewsScan)
As the number of network-connected devices grows at home, in the office, and on the road, presence technology is becoming more powerful and pervasive. Instant messaging is by far the most popular of these technologies, allowing users to tell when others are online, or even when they have not engaged their computer keyboard or mouse for several minutes. Mobile phone makers are expecting to include presence technology in their next-generation phones that would let callers know beforehand if their contact is available or if their phone is even on. In the future, devices equipped with Global Positioning System technology would allow friends to know when they are within a couple blocks of one another. Privacy concerns and social complications plague presence technology, even with privacy controls included in Yahoo! and MSN instant messaging products. (New York Times, 7 February 2002, copyright 8 February 2002 EDUCAUSE, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
A French criminal court says it plans to prosecute Yahoo and its former president Timothy Koogle for allegedly condoning war crimes by selling Nazi memorabilia. Koogle faces a maximum sentence of five years and an approximately $40,000 fine if found guilty -- a verdict that could have profound implications for free speech on the Net. France had ordered Yahoo in November 2000 to block French citizens from access the sites, but a U.S. federal judge ruled last fall that Yahoo, as a U.S.-based site, was not bound by French laws governing content. (Financial Times 27 Feb 2002, courtesy 27 February 2002 NewsScan)
PoliticsPolitical parties around the globe are discovering that the World Wide Web offers a fresh, direct and up-to-the-minute way to communicate with voters. The Web - graphical corner of the much broader Internet - is giving political parties more than just a way to reach potential voters. It is also helping them stay in touch with citizens living abroad and provide unfiltered communication of party goals.
The U.S. is only one of many coutries where campargning for political office is now conducted on the Internet. During recent election campaigns, candidates sought voters on the Internet in Taiwan, Poland, France, Italy and Germany, to name a few. (Computerworld 12 August 1996)
Check out theDemocratic National Committee
Check out theRepublican National Committee
a. Growth of the World Wide Web and the Internet:
- Four percent of U.S. citizens have internet access, doubling
each year since 1988.
- Project 64% will have access bu the year 2000.
- Average income of Web users: $53K to $64.7K.
- Average age of Web users: 30 to 32.7 years.
- "Web surfing" is replacing TV as an information /
entertainment source.
b. Past changes in electoral politics in response to mass media technology:
- 1952: 19 million TV sets; radio and TV ads on radio and T.V.
about equal.
- 1956 & 1960: TV political events two to one
over radio.
- 1980: TV political events eight to one over
radio.
- Now there are 99.2% U.S. households with TVs;
electoral politics dominated by TV events; sound bites, video
bites, debates, talk shows, town meetings.
- Cost per vote
increased from 20 cents in 1956 to $1.31 in 1972; a 555%
increase.
c. Past, Current, and Future Trends in Web Politics:
- Past uses few. 1994 email campaign to prevent Senator Tom
Foley's election.
- In 1996 113 sites related to the U.S. election; 90 related to
the Presidential election. Many candidates have small efforts on
the Internet. Internet not yet considered a main medium. Web
not yet seen as important.
- As number of users approaches the critical mass necessary to be
termed "mass media", Web will likely dominate politics, like TV
does now.
- Likely to ignore issues, concentrate on emotional attacks,
candidate agrandizement.
- Difficult on the Web to determine accuracy of information.
Likely will have false candidate pages.
(Computers and Society, Vol 26, Number 3, September 1996)
Referring to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event yesterday demonstrating the use of the Internet as a lobbying tool for communicating with (lobbying) government officials, James Thurber, director of American University's Center for Congressional Studies, says: "This is an example of the future... The linkage between a direct lobbying effort and the Internet is going to improve the capacity of these large organizations to pressure individual members of Congress to do what they want them to do. With these sites, they can just click an icon, and they have programs that will automatically send a letter to the right members of Congress." (Washington Post 18 May 98, copyright EDUCAUSE 19 May 1998, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
Aristotle International, a political consulting company that maintains a database of publicly accessible personal data on 150 million registered U.S. voters, is drawing the attention of privacy advocates and others concerned about online privacy. Aristotle markets the data it collects to politicians who use the information to target highly specific segments of the voting population via pop-up ads on the Internet. Aristotle's clients include 45 senators, more than 200 House representatives, 46 Republican and Democratic state parties, and top presidential candidates. William Dal Col, manager of Rick A. Lazio's campaign to represent New York in the Senate, says Aristotle is one of the first firms to exploit technology for political purposes. Aristotle combines its data with other types of information that it finds on the Internet; privacy groups such as the Center for Democracy and Technology believe this tie-up of data could harm the election process. Both Microsoft and America Online have abandoned plans to partner with Aristotle during the past year due to privacy concerns. (New York Times, September 9, 2000, copyright 11 September 2000 EDUCAUSE, reproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
The U.S. GovernmentCheck out the U.S. Government
Check out the Congressional Record
Check out the House of Representatives
Check out the White House
Vice President Al Gore used a stop to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina to announce the details of a "national interactive town square" initiative he plans to introduce if elected president. Gore's $100 million technology initiative would place all federal government programs on the Internet by 2003. "The power of government should not be...further away than your keyboard," Gore said. Everyday citizens play a leading role in Gore's plan. Gore foresees citizens using email to provide safety reports to police or to perform other tasks, such as applying for student loans. Gore's plan also would place kiosks in malls so those without home computers could participate in his vision. Citizens could access their personal records by using secure codes, Gore said. Gore also indicated he would continue his efforts to bring the Internet to every U.S. school and library. (Washington Post, 6 June 2000, copyright 7 June 2000 EDUCAUSE, preproduced with permission of EDUCAUSE)
| OUTLINE | Computer Literacy | Privacy | Work and Employment | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Interaction | Technological Risks | Ethics | International Perspectives | References |