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EFFector - Volume 8, Issue 8 - ALERT: 4 Internet Censorship Bills - Time Is Running out!

EFFECTOR

EFFector - Volume 8, Issue 8 - ALERT: 4 Internet Censorship Bills - Time Is Running out!

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EFFector Online  Volume 08 No. 08      June 9, 1995       editors@eff.org
A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation        ISSN 1062-9424

IN THIS ISSUE:

ALERT: 4 Internet Censorship Bills - Time Is Running out!
  The Latest News
  What You Can Do Now -- U.S. and non-U.S. citizens
  Senate Contact List
  For More Information
Newsbytes
  New Draft of Comm. Decency Bill - Update
  The Other Side of the Coin: Feinstein Bill v. Bomb Material Online - Update
  Sen. Coats Gets in on the Act, Sen. Lott Takes a Bow
  Dole/Grassley Legislation No Longer a Draft - Introduced as S.892
Errata
Calendar of Events
Quote of the Week
What YOU Can Do
Administrivia

* See http://www.eff.org/Alerts/ or ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/ for more
information on current EFF activities and online activism alerts! *

----------------------------------------------------------------------


Subject: ALERT: 4 Internet Censorship Bills - Time Is Running out!
------------------------------------------------------------------

As you'll see in this issues' Newsbytes section, the Senate has shown its
willingness to pass unconstitutional bills that threaten YOUR privacy
and freedom of speech.  There are four more such efforts under 
consideration now.  Please act immediately on the action alert below.
You may be comforted by the idea that you don't need to act, because the
Supreme Court will overturn all of this stuff.  Don't be fooled.  The
Supreme Court *might* do that, if it's in a receptive mood and if anyone has
several million dollars to throw away pushing a test case through many years
of legal battles.  In the interim, the Internet as we know it in the US will
cease to exist, replaced by a national censorship network, while innocent
parties will be fined and imprisoned for "harassing" and "profane" material
they did not create.  If this sounds like a regime you'd be uncomfortable
living under, please, take the few minutes it will require to phone or
fax your Senator, or (if not a US citizen) the Vice-President, who is 
also the President of the US Senate.

________________________________________________________________________

       CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE EXON/GORTON COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT

	Update: -Senate currently considering four Internet censorship
		 bills.  You need to act now.
		-What You Can Do Now (US and non-US citizens)

        CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT
			   June 8, 1995

      PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT
		 REDISTRIBUTE ONLY UNTIL June 25, 1995
	     REPRODUCE THIS ALERT ONLY IN RELEVANT FORUMS

      Distributed by the Voters Telecommunications Watch (vtw@vtw.org)

________________________________________________________________________

CONTENTS
	The Latest News
	What You Can Do Now -- U.S. and non-U.S. citizens
	Senate Contact List
        For More Information
        List Of Participating Organizations

________________________________________________________________________

[Note that this week is going to be a stressful one, as the Telecomm
 Reform bill is on the Senate floor and things are moving *very quickly*.
 We're trying very hard to minimize the numbers of letters we send out,
 and the size of the alerts.

 If you feel they're coming too fast and are thinking about unsubscribing,
 please consider waiting until the end of next week, when the traffic
 will die down again. -Shabbir]

THE LATEST NEWS

First there was the Exon/Gorton Internet Censorship bill.  Then, there
was the Dole/Grassley bill, which would criminalize "profane" speech
among other things.  Then came the Lott amendment, which would make
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) liable for the traffic of their
users.  Now, Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) has announced his intention to
introduce his very own legislation.  Since obscenity is already
illegal, it's unclear what benefits Coats' legislation will bring.

However given the tradition of the Senate's attempts at restricting the
Internet (Exon/Gorton, Feinstein, Dole/Grassley, and Lott) it's
becoming clear that few people are taking the First Amendment into
account when drafting their legislation.

As you read this, the Telecommunications Reform bill is being debated
on the Senate floor.  The Exon/Gorton Internet Censorship language
is *in that bill*.

If the net as a whole doesn't do anything, the Exon bill will become
a reality.

Even if it's found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court several years
from now, the damage it will do in terms of BBS seizures and chilling
speech in the meantime will make online systems a very different and
sad place.

A few days ago we put out an alert asking people to call Congress and
Vice President Gore.  This generated significant support and we've
even seen Senator's offices take notice of the fact that lots of computer-
literate individuals are calling to point out the problems with the
Exon/Gorton bill.  

If you already called, *thank you*.  Your comments warmed the hearts of
several of us, who have been swamped trying to process all the mail
you sent.  You have done your country proud.  Just as heart-warming
have been the letters from those abroad, who took the time to email
(and even call!) Vice President Gore.  We hope we can return the
favor somehow someday.

However, many of us have not called or faxed.  If you haven't done so
yet, take a moment to do that now.  Make your voice heard in
Washington.  Remind the Senate, which is paying more attention now to
voters than it has in several years, that you care about this new
medium that enables us to communicate in such an unprecedented
many-to-many fashion.  Demand the *exact same* rights and
responsibilities for speech in the digital world as we expect in
print media, no more, no less.

________________________________________________________________________

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW -- U.S. and non-U.S. citizens

The Telecomm Reform Bill currently includes the Exon/Gorton Internet
Censorship bill.  Leahy intends to offer a swap, to remove the Exon
language in exchange for his bill which advocates a study of the issue,
with an emphasis on the preservation of the First Amendment and
parental control.  The other proposals could become involved as well.

It is essential that the Leahy language be substituted for Exon's, and
therefore it is essential:

1. That all citizens call or fax their Senators as soon as possible.
   There is no time for written letters and email is too easily
   discounted or ignored. Non-U.S. citizens should contact Vice
   President Gore.  Note, if you decide to send a fax, you'll want to
   write an expanded version of the statement below.

   It's very important that you always be cool, collected, and polite.

   U.S. citizens:
	
	"Hello, Senator ________'s office"
	"Hi, I'm a constituent and would like to register my
	 opinion on the Telecommunications Reform bill to the 		
	 Senator.  May I please speak to the technology staffer,
	 _________?"
	"Hold On please.  Alright, go ahead."

	"Please oppose the Exon/Gorton bill (Title 4 of the Telecomm
	 bill) and other bills for censoring the Internet.  Please
	 support the Leahy alternative (S714) which examines these
	 issues.  My name and address are ________."

	"Thanks for calling." 
	

   Non-U.S. citizens:
        
        "Dear Vice President Gore,
 
	 The world looks to the United States as one of the leaders in
	 developing a Global Information Infrastructure.  Title 4 of
	 the Telecomm Reform bill and other Internet censorship bills
	 imperil that leadership.  Please work to remove them from the
	 Telecomm Reform bill (S652) and support Senator Leahy's
	 sensible alternative (S714).  I'm calling from ____________."


2. Send VTW a note telling us what you did. If you contacted your two
   Senators, send a letter to vtw@vtw.org with a subject line of
   "XX ack" where "XX" is your state.  For example:

	To: vtw@vtw.org
	Subject: OH ack

	I called my Ohio Senators and expressed my opinion.

   If you contact Senators outside your state, please let us know what
   state you're from.  

   If you contacted Vice President Gore, send a letter to vtw@vtw.org with
   a subject line of "gore ack".  For example:

	To: vtw@vtw.org
	Subject: gore ack

	I called VP Gore and expressed my opinion.  I'm from France.

   An automatic responder will return an updated contact tally.

3. Forward this alert to relevant forums on other online services and
   BBS's.  Check the letter you get back to see which Senators are
   underrepresented by citizen contacts. Forward the Alert to any
   friends and colleagues in those states.

4. If you haven't yet signed the petition to support Sen. Leahy,
   do so now at http://www.cdt.org/petition.html.  If you don't have
   WWW access, send mail to vtw@vtw.org with a subject line of 
   "send petition" for directions.

5. Congratulate yourself!  Your two-minute activism joins that of many
   thousands of others over the past two months. 

________________________________________________________________________

SENATE CONTACT LIST

Vice President Gore can be reached at:

	White House comment line
		Telephone: (202) 456-1111 (M-F 9-5 EST)
		Facsimile: (202) 456-2461 (M-F 9-5 EST)
		Email:	    vice-president@whitehouse.gov
	

*** Note that we have included names of the several Senators    ***
*** Telecommunications Policy staffers below.  Please attempt   ***
*** to speak to them when you call.				***

US Senate Listing:

      D ST Name (Party)               Phone           Fax
      = == ============		      =====	      ===
      R AK Murkowski, Frank H.        1-202-224-6665  1-202-224-5301
      R AK Stevens, Ted               1-202-224-3004  1-202-224-1044
                Earl Comstock - Technology staffer
      D AL Heflin, Howell T.          1-202-224-4124  1-202-224-3149
      R AL Shelby, Richard C.         1-202-224-5744  1-202-224-3416
      D AR Bumpers, Dale              1-202-224-4843  1-202-224-6435
                Thomas Walls - Technology staffer
      D AR Pryor, David               1-202-224-2353  1-202-224-8261
      R AZ Kyl, Jon                   1-202-224-4521  1-602-840-4848
      R AZ McCain, John               1-202-224-2235  1-602-952-8702
                Mark Buse - Technology staffer
      D CA Boxer, Barbara             1-202-224-3553  na
                Leanne Shimabukuro - Technology staffer
      D CA Feinstein, Dianne          1-202-224-3841  1-202-228-3954
                Robert Mestman - Technology staffer
      D CO Campbell, Ben N.           1-202-224-5852  1-202-225-0228
                Lori Fox - Technology staffer
      R CO Brown, Henry               1-202-224-5941  1-202-224-6471
                Liz Woodard - Technology staffer
      D CT Dodd, Christopher J.       1-202-224-2823  na
      D CT Lieberman, Joseph I.       1-202-224-4041  1-202-224-9750
      D DE Biden Jr., Joseph R.       1-202-224-5042  1-202-224-0139
                Demetra Lambros/Michelle Deguerin - Technology staffer
      R DE Roth Jr.  William V.       1-202-224-2441  1-202-224-2805
      D FL Graham, Robert             1-202-224-3041  1-202-224-2237
      R FL Mack, Connie               1-202-224-5274  1-202-224-8022
                Victoria Anderson - Technology staffer
      D GA Nunn, Samuel               1-202-224-3521  1-202-224-0072
                Jonathan Reif - Technology staffer
      R GA Coverdell, Paul            1-202-224-3643  1-202-228-3783
                Therese Marie Delgadillo - Technology staffer
      D HI Akaka, Daniel K.           1-202-224-6361  1-202-224-2126
                Nanci Langley - Technology staffer
      D HI Inouye, Daniel K.          1-202-224-3934  1-202-224-6747
                Margaret Cummisky - Technology staffer
      D IA Harkin, Thomas             1-202-224-3254  1-202-224-7431
                Phil Buchan - Technology staffer
      R IA Grassley, Charles E.       1-202-224-3744  1-202-224-6020
                John McNickle - Technology staffer
      R ID Craig, Larry E.            1-202-224-2752  1-202-224-2573
                Elizabeth Criner - Technology staffer
      R ID Kempthorne, Dirk           1-202-224-6142  1-202-224-5893
      D IL Moseley-Braun, Carol       1-202-224-2854  1-202-224-2626
                Bill Mattea - Technology staffer
      D IL Simon, Paul                1-202-224-2152  1-202-224-0868
                Susan Kaplan - Technology staffer
      R IN Coats, Daniel R.           1-202-224-5623  1-202-224-8964
                David Crane - Technology staffer
      R IN Lugar, Richard G.          1-202-224-4814  1-202-224-7877
                Walt Luken - Technology staffer
      R KS Dole, Robert               1-202-224-6521  1-202-224-8952
      R KS Kassebaum, Nancy L.        1-202-224-4774  1-202-224-3514
                Ed Bolen - Technology staffer
      D KY Ford, Wendell H.           1-202-224-4343  1-202-224-0046
                Martha Maloney - Technology staffer
      R KY McConnell, Mitch           1-202-224-2541  1-202-224-2499
      D LA Breaux, John B.            1-202-224-4623  na
                Thomas Moore - Technology staffer
      D LA Johnston, J. Bennett       1-202-224-5824  1-202-224-2952
                Michael Gougisha - Technology staffer
      D MA Kennedy, Edward M.         1-202-224-4543  1-202-224-2417
                Jeff Blattner - Technology staffer
      D MA Kerry, John F.             1-202-224-2742  1-202-224-8525
                Scott Bunton - Technology staffer
      D MD Mikulski, Barbara A.       1-202-224-4654  1-202-224-8858
      D MD Sarbanes, Paul S.          1-202-224-4524  1-202-224-1651
                Fred Millhiser - Technology staffer
      R ME Snowe, Olympia             1-202-224-5344  1-202-224-6853
                Angela Campbell - Technology staffer
      R ME Cohen, William S.          1-202-224-2523  1-202-224-2693
                Kelly Metcalf - Technology staffer
      D MI Levin, Carl                1-202-224-6221  na
      R MI Abraham, Spencer           1-202-224-4822  1-202-224-8834
      D MN Wellstone, Paul            1-202-224-5641  1-202-224-8438
                Mike Epstein - Technology staffer
      R MN Grams, Rod                 1-202-224-3244  na
      R MO Bond, Christopher S.       1-202-224-5721  1-202-224-8149
      R MO Ashcroft, John             1-202-224-6154  na
      R MS Cochran, Thad              1-202-224-5054  1-202-224-3576
      R MS Lott, Trent                1-202-224-6253  1-202-224-2262
                Chip Pickering - Technology staffer
      D MT Baucus, Max                1-202-224-2651  na
                Brian Cavey - Technology staffer
      R MT Burns, Conrad R.           1-202-224-2644  1-202-224-8594
                Mark Baker - Technology staffer
      R NC Faircloth, D. M.           1-202-224-3154  1-202-224-7406
      R NC Helms, Jesse               1-202-224-6342  1-202-224-7588
      D ND Conrad, Kent               1-202-224-2043  1-202-224-7776
                Steve Super - Technology staffer
      D ND Dorgan, Byron L.           1-202-224-2551  1-202-224-1193
                Greg Rhode - Technology staffer
      D NE Exon, J. J.                1-202-224-4224  1-202-224-5213
                Christopher MacLean - Technology staffer
      D NE Kerrey, Bob                1-202-224-6551  1-202-224-7645
                Carol Ann Bischoff - Technology staffer
      R NH Gregg, Judd                1-202-224-3324  1-202-224-4952
      R NH Smith, Robert              1-202-224-2841  1-202-224-1353
      D NJ Bradley, William           1-202-224-3224  1-202-224-8567
                Mark Schmitt - Technology staffer
      D NJ Lautenberg, Frank R.       1-202-224-4744  1-202-224-9707
                Bruce King - Technology staffer
      D NM Bingaman, Jeff             1-202-224-5521  na
                Wayne Propst - Technology staffer
      R NM Domenici, Pete V.          1-202-224-6621  1-202-224-7371
      D NV Bryan, Richard H.          1-202-224-6244  1-202-224-1867
                Andrew Vermilye - Technology staffer
      D NV Reid, Harry                1-202-224-3542  1-202-224-7327
      D NY Moynihan, Daniel P.        1-202-224-4451  na
      R NY D'Amato, Alfonse M.        1-202-224-6542  1-202-224-5871
                Kraig Siracuse - Technology staffer
      D OH Glenn, John                1-202-224-3353  1-202-224-7983
                Susan Palmer - Technology staffer
      R OH Dewine, Michael            1-202-224-2315  1-202-224-6519
                Josh Ruben - Technology staffer
      R OK Inhofe, James              1-202-224-4721
      R OK Nickles, Donald            1-202-224-5754  1-202-224-6008
      R OR Hatfield, Mark O.          1-202-224-3753  1-202-224-0276
      R OR Packwood, Robert           1-202-224-5244  1-202-228-3576
                Hans Haney - Technology staffer
      R PA Santorum, Rick             1-202-224-6324  1-202-228-4991
      R PA Specter, Arlen             1-202-224-4254  na
                Dan Renberg - Technology staffer
      D RI Pell, Claiborne            1-202-224-4642  1-202-224-4680
      R RI Chafee, John H.            1-202-224-2921  na
      D SC Hollings, Ernest F.        1-202-224-6121  1-202-224-4293
                Kevin Josephs - Technology staffer
      R SC Thurmond, Strom            1-202-224-5972  1-202-224-1300
      D SD Daschle, Thomas A.         1-202-224-2321  1-202-224-2047
      R SD Pressler, Larry            1-202-224-5842  1-202-224-1259*
                Katie King - Technology staffer
      R TN Thompson, Fred             1-202-224-4944  1-202-228-3679
                Kevin Moxley - Technology staffer
      R TN Frist, Bill                1-202-224-3344  1-202-224-8062
                Dave Berson - Technology staffer
      R TX Hutchison, Kay Bailey      1-202-224-5922  1-202-224-0776
                Amy Henderson - Technology staffer
      R TX Gramm, Phil                1-202-224-2934  1-202-228-2856
      R UT Bennett, Robert            1-202-224-5444  1-202-224-6717
                Amy Henderson - Technology staffer
      R UT Hatch, Orrin G.            1-202-224-5251  1-202-224-6331
                Mike O'Neill - Technology staffer
      D VA Robb, Charles S.           1-202-224-4024  1-202-224-8689
                Bill Owens - Technology staffer
      R VA Warner, John W.            1-202-224-2023  1-202-224-6295
                Russel Wilkerson - Technology staffer
      D VT Leahy, Patrick J.          1-202-224-4242  1-202-224-3595
                Beryl Howell - Technology staffer
      R VT Jeffords, James M.         1-202-224-5141  na
                Bill Testerman - Technology staffer
      D WA Murray, Patty              1-202-224-2621  1-202-224-0238
                Mike Egan - Technology staffer
      R WA Gorton, Slade              1-202-224-3441  1-202-224-9393
                Terri Claffey - Technology staffer
      D WI Feingold, Russell          1-202-224-5323  na
                Jeannine Kenney - Technology staffer
      D WI Kohl, Herbert H.           1-202-224-5653  1-202-224-9787
                Jon Liebowitz - Technology staffer
      D WV Byrd, Robert C.            1-202-224-3954  1-202-224-4025
      D WV Rockefeller, John D.       1-202-224-6472  na
		Cheryl Bruner - Technology staffer
      R WY Simpson, Alan K.           1-202-224-3424  1-202-224-1315
		Michael Stull - Technology staffer
      R WY Thomas, Craig              1-202-224-6441  1-202-224-3230

________________________________________________________________________
FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information on the Communications Decency Act, visit the
following resources:

Web Sites
	URL:http://www.panix.com/vtw/exon/
	URL:http://epic.org/
	URL:http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/
	URL:http://www.cdt.org/cda.html

FTP Archives 
	URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/policy/freespeech/00-INDEX.FREESPEECH
	URL:ftp://ftp.eff.org/pub/Alerts/

Gopher Archives:
	URL:gopher://gopher.panix.com/11/vtw/exon
	URL:gopher://gopher.eff.org/11/Alerts

Email:
	vtw@vtw.org (put "send help" in the subject line)
	cda-info@cdt.org (General CDA information)
	cda-stat@cdt.org (Current status of the CDA)

________________________________________________________________________

LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS

In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have
joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the
Communications Decency Act.

Please send a message to vtw@vtw.org with "send orgs" in the subject
line to receive a list of these organizations.

	[End Alert]

------------------------------


Subject: Newsbytes
------------------

* New Draft of Comm. Decency Bill - Update

As noted last issue, Sen. Exon, the Dept. of Justice, and some unnamed 
online service providers have attempted to fix the "bugs" in the 
Exon/Gorton Communications Decency Act, recently folded into the Senate 
telecom reform bill, S.652.  All in all, the amendment fixes only 
superficial problems, leaving the core faults of the bill intact.
Whether the DoJ or other lobbyists that worked on this draft have 
accepted is has not been confirmed, but Exon has adopted it.

Exon attempted to have his amendment added to the en blac amendments 
(the Chairman's mark) for quick and easy passage, but was headed 
off by Leahy, who objected, putting Exon back in the position of having 
to propose his new language as a separate amendment to be debated and 
voted upon.  Senate business concluded around 3pm, and that was that.  
The amendment, and Leahy's alternative, are expected to be debated
on Mon. or Tue.  It will probably be a serious floor battle - the 
unconstitutional provisions of Exon and possibly Coats v. the more 
reasonable and reasoned Leahy bill.

Another source erroneously reported that Exon's language was accepted as an 
amendment to the Senate telecom reform bill by unanimous consent.  Senate
staffers confirm that this did not occur.

The Exon legislation revised by this draft amendment will remain 
unconstitutional, as it still attempts to ban expression protected by the 
First Amendment.  Even the regulation of indecency has been limited by 
the courts to very narrowly defined circumstances - none of which apply 
to online media. Additionally, the new version introduces a new problem: 
It protects only large commercial service providers from more-restrictive 
state laws, leaving individuals, schools, non-profits, and other groups
open targets for state-level censorship.

Why any of this is important:  Exon's new revision is more "palatable" to 
some parties. If it is kept out of the bill, it will be easier to defeat 
the Exon language that currently resides in S.652, and have it replaced 
with Leahy's language.  If the new draft replaces the old Exon language, it
will be much more likely to pass and convincing the Senate to exise it in 
favor of Leahy's bill (S.714) will be more difficult.

The draft changes to the Exon bill, showing what was deleted and what was 
added, are available at:

http://www.eff.org/pub/Legislation/Bills_by_number/s652_051995_amend.draft
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Legislation/Bills_by_number/s652_051995_amend.draft
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Legislation/Bills_by_number, s652_051995_amend.draft


* The Other Side of the Coin: Feinstein Bill v. Bomb Material Online - Update

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) proposed and got her amendment to the Senate 
Comprehensive Terrorism Prevention bill, S.735, of Sen. Dole.  The Feinstein
provisions "prohibit the dissemination of information on the making of 
explosive materials with intent or knowledge that such information will 
be used for a criminal purpose." Though the legislation does not directly 
mention the Internet, it is certainly drafted to apply to online media, 
and was inspired by what Feinstein perceives as tools for terrorism on 
computer networks. 

Sadly, we must report that not only was the amendment accepted, but the 
Terrorism bill passed.  Worse yet, it passed with the "roving wiretaps" 
section intact, calling for police wiretaps of entire areas 
simultaneously, so law enforcement can catch mobile members of the Four 
Horsement of the Infobahn ("drug dealers, organized crime, child 
molesters & pornographers, and terrorists").  This is pretty bad but is 
not yet a total disaster.  This bill has quite a long way to go before it 
becomes law, and there are many opportunities to head it off at the pass.

Also, the Feinstein provisions were watered down.  Rough analysis 
suggests that it is even constititional, and in actually does not 
illegalize anything that's not already covered by current law, making it 
worthless ego legislation that simply exists to attract publicity and 
further the sponsors' political agenda.  Don't take this as gospel however.
Neither EFF nor other organizations in the Stop314 Coalition have the 
full text of the bill as it passed yet, and have not yet been able to do 
a full and careful analysis of it.

The full text of the Feinstein *draft* can be found at:

http://www.eff.org/Bills_by_number/s735_95_feinstein_amend.draft
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Legislation/Bills_by_number/s735_95_feinstein_amend.draft
gopher.eff.org, 1/Legislation/Bills_by_number, s735_95_feinstein_amend.draft

NOTE: This is *not* the version that passed, but the original.  It's 
still a good read, if you enjoy horror stories.

There's plenty more to worry about from this and other anti-terrorism 
legislation, most of which proposes one or more unconstitional 
"solutions" to perceived problems, and many of which seek to expand, in 
some cases radically, law enforcement and intelligence wiretapping 
authority and abilities.  These bills, archived by bill number, are 
also available in the Bills_by_number directory at the sites above.


* Sen. Coats Gets in on the Act, Sen. Lott Takes a Bow

Catching the new wave, Sen. Daniel Coats (R-IN) has announced his own 
Internet-censoring legislation, which is expected to be proferred as an 
amendment to the Senate telecom reform bill, just like everyone elses.
Details of this amendment are sketchy, but expect the worst.  This 
represents the most Far-Right net censorship paradigm yet.  Sen. Lott
has stated that he will not be introducing his amendment to make the Exon 
legislation even worse (by stipping all liablity protections for system 
operators).  No reasons were given.


* Dole/Grassley Legislation No Longer a Draft - Introduced as S.892

A bill even worse than Exon's, a true unconstitutional nightmare, was 
introduced shortly after last issue of EFFector: "The Protection of 
Children from Computer Pornography Act".  This is not intended as an 
amendment to the telecom bill, but is stand-alone legislation.
The bill's been referred to the Judiciary Committee.

The *draft* version is available at:

http://www.eff.org/Bills_by_number/s892_95_bill.draft
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Legislation/Bills_by_number/s892_95_bill.draft
gopher.eff.org, 1/Legislation/Bills_by_number, s892_95_bill.draft

NOTE: This is *not* the version as introduced (we'll have that up in same
directory as s892_95.bill when available), though it may be identical.

------------------------------


Subject: Errata
---------------

Last issue, EFFector reported that:
>> Prodigy filed a motion for summary judgment, asking to be dismissed from
>> the case on the claim that Prodigy could not be held responsible for the
>> postings of its users.

Bill Schneck, Associate Senior Counsel for Prodigy corrected us:

>In fact, the ruling was issued in response to a motion for partial
>summary judgment made by the *plaintiffs*. Prodigy did not move for summary
>judgment.

We apologize for the error, and hope it did not confuse or inconvenience 
anyone.

------------------------------


Subject: Calendar of Events
---------------------------

This schedule lists EFF events, and those we feel might be of interest to
our members.  EFF events (those sponsored by us or featuring an EFF speaker)
are marked with a "*" instead of a "-" after the date.  Simlarly, government
events, such as deadlines for comments on reports or testimony submission, are
marked with "!" in place of the "-" after the date.

If you know of an event of some sort that should be listed here, please
send info about it to Stanton McCandlish (mech@eff.org)

The latest full version of this calendar, which includes material for
later in the year as well as the next couple of months, is available from:

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


Updated: Jun. 6, 1995


1995
----

June 11-
     14 - Society & the Future of Computing (SFC'95); Tamarron Lodge,
          Durango, Colorado.  Sponsored by the Assoc. for Computing
          Machinery, LANL, U. of Md., IEEE. Speakers will include Phil Agre
          (UCSD), Leslie Sandberg (Institute for Telemedicine), Wm.
          Halverson (PacBell), Don Norman (Apple), Linda Garcia
          (Congressional Office of Technology Assessment), John
          Cherniavsky (Natl. Science Found.) and several others.
          Email: sfc95@lanl.gov
          WWW: http://www.lanl.gov/LANLNews/Conferences/.sfc95/sfcHome.html/

June 13-
     15 - IDT 95 - 12th Congress on Information Markets and Industries;
          Paris, France.  Organized by ADBS (a society of information
          professionals), ANRT (National Association of Technological
          Research), and GFII (French association of information industries).
          Contact: +33 1 43 72 25 25 (voice), +33 1 43 72 30 41 (fax)

June 17-
     19 - NECC'95: Emerging Technologies and Lifelong Learning: 16th Annual
          National Educational Computing Conf., sponsored by International
          Society for Technology in Education; Baltimore, Maryland.
          VP Gore and Sec'y. of Labor Robert Reich invited as keynote
          speakers. Other speakers include: John Phillipo (CELT), Frank
          Knott (MGITB)
          Contact: +1 503 346 2834 (voice), +1 503 346 5890 (fax)
          Email: necc95@ccmail.uoregon.edu

June 18-
     21 - ED-MEDIA'95; Graz, Austria. A world conference on educational
          multimedia and hypermedia. Sponsor: The Association for the
          Advancement of Computing.
          Contact: +1 804 973 3987 (voice)
          Email: aace@virginia.edu.

June 24-
     28 - Workshop on Ethical & Professional Issues in Computing;
          Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY. Deadline for submissions:
          Apr. 15.
          Contact: +1 518 276 8503 (voice), +1 518 276 2659 (fax)
          Email: cherkt@rpi.edu

June 27-
     29 - Women in Technology Conference: Channels for Change; Santa Clara
          Conv. Ctr., Santa Clara, Calif.  Speakers include: Gloria Steinem.
          Sponsored by Int'l. Network of Women in Technology (WITI).
          Contact: +1 818 990 1987 (voice), +1 818 906 3299 (fax)
          Email: witi@crl.com

June 28-
     30 - INET '95 Internet Society 5th Ann. International Networking
          Conf.; Honolulu, Hawaii.  Sponsored by Internet Society (ISoc).
          See Jan. 13 for proposal deadline
          Contact: +1 703 648 9888 (voice)
          FTP: ftp.isoc.org, /isoc/inet95/
          Gopher: gopher.isoc.org, 1/isoc/inet95
          WWW: http://www.isoc.org/inet95.html
          Email: inet95@isoc.org

July 5-
     7  - Key Players in the Introduction of Information Technology: Their
          Social Responsibility & Professional Training; Namur, Belgium.
          Sponsored by CREIS.
          Email: nolod@ccr.jussieu.fr, clobet@info.fundp.ac.be

July 5-
     8  - Alliance for Community Media International Conference and Trade
          Show. [See Jan. 31 for proposal submission deadline info].
          Contact: Alliance c/o MATV, 145 Pleasant St., Malden, MA 02148
          Fax: (617) 321-7121; Voice: Rika Welsh (617) 321-6400
          Email: matv@world.std.com

July 5-
     8  - 18th International Conf. on Research & Development in Information
          Retrieval; Sheraton Hotel, Seattle, Wash.
          Email: sigir95@u.washington.edu

July 6-
     7  ! Interoperability & the Economics of Information Infrastructure;
          Freedom Forum, Rosslyn, Virginia.  IITF/NSF/Harvard/FFMSC joint
          workshop to "analyze and evaluate economic incentives and
          impediments to achieving interoperability in the National
          Information Infrastructure.  The goal is to help agencies,
          associations, the Administration, and the Congress to develop
          sound policies for realizing the vision of a seamless,
          interoperating NII. Deadline for proposals: Mar. 17.  Deadline
          for submissions: June 15.
          Contact: +1 617 495 8903 (voice), +1 617 495 5776 (fax)
          Email: kahin@harvard.edu

July 11-
     15 - '95 Joint International Conference: Association for Computers and
          the Humanties, and Association for Literacy and Linguistic
          Computing; UCSB, Santa Barbara, Calif. Will highlight the
          development of new computing methodologies for research and
          teaching in the humanities
          Contact:  Eric Dahlin, +1 805 687 5003 (voice)
          Email: hcf1dahl@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu

July 22-
     26 - Syllabus'95; Sonoma State U., Rohnert Park, Calif.
          "The premier conference covering the use of technology in the
          curriculum"
          Contact: 1-800-773-0670 (voice, US-only), +1 408 746 200 (voice,
          elsewhere)
          Email: syllabus@netcom.com

------------------------------


Subject: Quote of the Week
--------------------------

"It's going to be an uphill fight...This will all come down to
the debate.  Tell people to call and write their Senators.   They need to 
know.  Now."
  - An aide for Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT), from _Cyberwire_Dispatch_ article
    by Brock Meeks, June 9, 1995.  Leahy strongly opposes the
    Communications Decency legislation and has offered a reasoned 
    alternative.

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 protect us from ourselves that our government representatives 
may deprive us of our essential civil liberties? 

Join EFF!

------------------------------


Subject: What YOU Can Do
------------------------


* The Internet Censorship Bills

Contact your Senators IMMEDIATELY.  See lead article for phone/fax list, 
and sample messages.

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

ftp.eff.org, /pub/Alerts/
gopher.eff.org, 1/Alerts
http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/

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


* Find Out Who Your Congresspersons Are

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. These lists are available at:
ftp.eff.org, /pub/Activism/Congress_cmtes/
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Issues/Activism/Congress_cmtes
http://www.eff.org/pub/Activism/Congress_cmtes/

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 do not know who your Representatives are, 
you should contact you local League of Women Voters, who typically maintain
databases that can help you find out.


* Join EFF!

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.

------------------------------


Administrivia
=============

EFFector Online is published by:

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/

To get the latest issue, send any message to effector-reflector@eff.org (or
er@eff.org), and it will be mailed to you automagically.  You can also get
the file "current" from the EFFector directory at the above sites at any 
time for a copy of the current issue.  HTML editions available at:
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Newsletters/EFFector/HTML/ 
at EFFweb.

------------------------------





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