Internet Censorware Summit, Clinton to speak, Dec 1-3

At 09:20 -0800 10/30/97, James S. Tyre wrote:
>Showing my ignorance, what's the "real" censorware summit?

Check out http://www.kidsonline.org/  -- it's a hoot. Praises the CDA as a
"well-intentioned effort to protect children." Grew out of the White
House's kickoff Censorware Summit in July; Clinton is expected to speak at
this one. Scheduled for Dec 1-3 here in DC. Chaired by former Clinton
campaign official and former FTC "protect the children" Commissioner
Christine Varney. (This is not to criticize Varney; I rather like her
personally, but politically, well...)

The Censorware Summit is organized largely by industy groups -- America
Online initially took the lead role -- and sympathetic advocacy groups.
Donna Rice-Hughes (yes that Donna Rice) is heavily involved, as operations
co-chair or something (I forget her real title). Sydney Rubin
(syd@kidsonline.org), a public relations rep for CyberPatrol, is handling
media registration. The Center for Democracy and Technology is hosting the
kidsonline.org web site.

Following is a quote from the web site. Note it talks about how we need
stricter enforcement of obscenity laws -- one of the worst ideas I've heard
in a while. Remember Robert Thomas -- why should S.F. or NYC be subject to
the "community standards" of Tennessee? *sigh*

>The summit will seek to advance the following objectives in accordance with
>Presidential and Congressional statements on Internet use by children:
>
>       Technological Solutions: Encouraging market-based development and
>       deployment of an effective, easy-to-use "digital toolbox" of user
>       empowerment tools which can assist parents and others responsible for
>       children, in shielding those children from material they deem
>inappropriate
>       and shaping children's communication and information options online; to
>       enable access to positive content and communications based on
>individual
>       values; and to enable service and content providers, and others, to
>create
>       family-friendly environments.
>
>       Enforcement of Current Law: Fostering greater cooperation among
>       law enforcement, industry, and the public, to support vigorous
>       enforcement of existing laws against using the Internet to traffic
>in obscene
>       material and child pornography, stalk children, and commit other
>crimes.

Fortunately there's a coalition forming to oppose this. That is,
emphasizing the free speech implications of rating and filtering proposals.
I understand details will be made public soon. As I said:

>>Look for the usual suspects to stand up and wave around censorware
>>programs, blissfully ignoring the fact that the Supreme Court ruled
>>recently that the Net should be as free as print or a public square. Last I
>>checked, print publishers would never endorse any "self-labelling" system
>>to stave off Federal censorship. They'd have the balls to stand up and
>>fight. So should the Net.

-Declan

Sponsors include:

>http://www.netparents.org/summit_part.html
>    Center for Media Education

This is the same group that I wrote about in June; excerpt attached below.

Note that no traditional free speech or journalist groups are represented.
Groups like ACLU, Media Coalition, EPIC, National Coalition Against
Censorship, National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, Freedom Forum,
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, PEN/NWU, Association of
American Publishers, Feminists for Free Expression, American Society of
Newspaper Editors, Media Institute, American Society of Magazine Editors,
Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression.

None of 'em there. Nada. Hell, even MPAA and the NAB would be better than
Enough is Enough.

-Declan

***********

http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/opinion/0,1042,1055,00.html

The Netly News Network
June 13, 1997

The Cartoon Decency Act?
by Declan McCullagh (declan@well.com)

        We all know what threats confront our children today: War.
   Hunger. Poverty. Ignorance. But animated cartoon characters on the
   Net?

        Actually, the Center for Media Education and its allies ignored
   the others and just zeroed in on the looming menace of Net-toons
   yesterday during the Federal Trade Commission's interminable privacy
   hearings. CME's Shelley Pasnik warned, "Animated product
   spokescharacters are coming into our childrens' computers... Parents
   are deeply troubled by the intrusive nature of the online [world]
   coming into our homes." Hadn't she read Kurt Anderson's editorial in
   The New Yorker this week, that the onslaught of 'toons signals a
   cultural renaissance in the U.S.? Doh!

        The Center for Media's alarums sound familiar. Supporters of the
   notorious Communications Decency Act cried that "pornography is coming
   into our home computers" and used the same excuse of "protecting
   children" to justify passing the law.

[...]