World Wide Catalog 1995 Summer/World_Wide_Catalog_InfoMagic_Summer_1995.iso/pages/wwweff_b.org/pub/alerts/gii_expu.ale

Text File | 1995-06-11 | 8KB | 210 lines

Dear concerned networkers,

Below is an Action Alert regarding our letter to Al Gore on the G-7
Conference.  PLEASE POST THIS WIDELY!  Our letter has already generated a
lot of attention from netizens, and this is their chance to become
involved.

Thanks for all your help--

EFF Contact:
David Johnson
Senior Policy Fellow
Electronic Frontier Foundation
[phone]
[e-mail]

HRW Contact:
Ann Beeson
Bradford Wiley Fellow
Free Expression Project
Human Rights Watch
[phone] x258
[e-mail]

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

**ACTION ALERT**

Free Expression On The Global Information
Infrastructure Is In Jeopardy Unless You Act Now!

BACKGROUND:  On February 25-26, the G-7 countries will meet
in Brussels to make crucial decisions that will affect the
future of the global information infrastructure (GII).  The
Clinton Administration wants support from the G-7 for five
basic principles for building the GII:  encouraging private
investment; promoting competition; creating a flexible
regulatory environment; providing open access to networks
and services for providers and users; and ensuring universal
service.

ISSUE:  These five principles will not protect online free
expression!  In a letter to Al Gore last week, nine leading
human rights and civil liberties groups recommended a specific
principle to protect free expression in cyberspace.  (The full
text of the letter is available at:
FTP:    ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Policy/OP/gii_expression_letter.eff
Gopher: gopher.igc.apc.org, path: 1/int/hrw/expression, filename: 1, port:
        5000 (menu path: Human Rights Organizations With an International
        Focus / Human Rights Watch (HRW) / Human Rights Watch Free
        Expression Project / general.952)
WWW:    gopher://gopher.igc.apc.org:5000/00/int/hrw/expression/1

ACTION:  Send the Vice President a message by Internet e-mail
at [e-mail] (non-Internet users see end)
before Saturday, February 25th urging the adoption of a "sixth
principle" that protects and promotes free expression on the GII.  (See
the sample letter below.)  Please use the subject header "Sixth
Principle", and copy your message to:  [e-mail].

NOTE: Because there is currently no guarantee that White House email is
read and carefully considered in a timely manner, it is strongly
advised that you *also* send your letter via postal mail and fax to:
Vice President Albert Gore
Old Executive Office Building
Washington DC 20500 USA
Fax: [phone]
Please do also email it and cc [e-mail].

Join Human Rights Watch, Electronic Privacy Information
Center, American Civil Liberties Union, American Library
Association, Article 19, Center for Democracy and
Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, People for the
American Way, and Privacy International in the fight for
free expression in cyberspace!


 ----------- cut here ------------------------------------------------

The Honorable Al Gore
Vice President of the United States
S212 Capitol Building
Washington, DC  20510
e-mail:  [e-mail]
cc:      [e-mail]

Dear Mr. Vice President:

I am writing to ask that you add a "sixth principle" for
adoption by the G-7 this week that explicitly recognizes a
commitment to protect and promote the free exchange of
information and ideas on the global information
infrastructure (GII).

I also support the specific recommendations regarding free
expression principles for the GII that were provided to you
in the February 16th letter from leading human rights and
civil liberties organizations.

The U.S. should carry the free speech banner as it shapes
the development of the GII.

Sincerely,

[name]

 ----------- cut here ------------------------------------------------


FidoNet users: send your email to the UUCP gateway for your area.
It must be addressed "To: UUCP, <nodenumber here>".  The FIRST line of
the message must be a second "To:" line - "To: [e-mail]".
The SECOND line *must* be a blank line - this formatting is required by the
mail gateway. The THIRD line should begin the salutation and letter.
To cc your message to [e-mail], repeat this proceedure in a separate
message for [e-mail] (some UUCP FidoNet<-->Internet mailgates may not
support direct cc's in a single message - better to be safe than sorry.)

CompuServe users: send your email to Internet:[e-mail]
or CIS ID 75300,3115.

Other online services: Contact your system admins for instructions on how
to send Internet email.


The Electronic Frontier Foundation
1667 K St. NW, Suite 801
Washington DC 20006-1605 USA
[phone] (voice)
[phone] (fax)
[phone] (BBS - 16.8k ZyXEL)
[phone] (BBS - 14.4k V.32bis)
Internet: [e-mail]
Internet fax gate: remote-printer.EFF@8.5.2.1.1.6.8.2.0.2.1.tpc.int

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
485 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10017-6104
TEL [phone]
FAX [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

1522 K Street, NW, #910 Washington, DC 20005-1202
TEL [phone]
FAX [phone]
Email: [e-mail]

TITLE: 2/16/95 Press Release on Letter to G-7 on Global
Information Infrastructure

For Further Information, Please Contact:

Ann Beeson Human Rights Watch phone:  [phone] x258 e-mail:
[e-mail]

Marc Rotenberg Electronic Privacy Information Center phone:
202-544-9240 e-mail:  [e-mail]

HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES GROUPS URGE GORE TO PROTECT FREE
EXPRESSION ON INFO-HIGHWAY

February 16, 1995 -- A coalition of leading human rights and civil
liberties groups today urged Vice President Al Gore to carry the
banner of free speech to Brussels where the G-7 will meet next
week to discuss the future of the global information
infrastructure (GII).  The coalition alleges that the current U.S.
agenda for the GII is incomplete because it fails to include core
free expression principles.

The Clinton Administration has stated that it wants to achieve
support from the G-7 for five basic principles for building the
GII:  encouraging private investment; promoting competition;
creating a flexible regulatory environment; providing open access
to networks and services for providers and users; and ensuring
universal service.  The Administration gave a detailed description
of these principles in a document released yesterday entitled "The
Global Information Infrastructure:  Agenda for Cooperation."

The coalition asks the U.S. to add a "sixth principle" for
adoption at next week's G-7 gathering that "explicitly recognizes
a commitment to protect and promote the free exchange of
information and ideas on the GII."  The letter (a copy of which is
attached) recommends that the Clinton Administration:

-protect against censorship and promote diverse ideas and
viewpoints on the GII.
-support broad access to the GII by people of all nations.
-promote strong information privacy rights on the GII.

The group points to the inevitable impact the GII will have on
social, political, and economic life.  If properly designed, the
GII will "motivate citizens to become more involved in
decisionmaking at local and global levels as they organize,
debate, and share information unrestricted by geographic distances
or national borders."

The letter was signed by Human Rights Watch, Electronic Privacy
Information Center, American Civil Liberties Union, American
Library Association, Article 19, Center for Democracy and
Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, People for the
American Way, and Privacy International.




--
<A HREF="../../../wwweff_b.org/_mech/index.htm">          Stanton McCandlish
</A><HR><A HREF="mailto:[e-mail]">        [e-mail]
</A><P><A HREF="../../../wwweff_b.org/index.htm">         Electronic Frontier Foundation
</A><P><A HREF="http://www.eff.org/1.html">   Online Services Mgr.   </A>