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1996-03-27
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Citizens Internet Empowerment
Coalition
Due to the fast moving nature of the Court Challenge, updates to this page are made frequently.
Please continue to visit
TRIAL BULLETINS!
CDT will provide a synopsis of the proceedings directly from the courtroom each day hearings are
held.
Ability to Control Content/Difficulties in Complying with CDA 3/22/96 1:00pm EST
Surfing the Net in Court/Impact of CDA on Content Providers 3/21/96 7:00pm EST
INTERNET 101 - What is the Net and How Does it Work? 3/21/96 1:00pm EST
Pre-Trial Update/Excerpts from Declarations of CIEC witnesses 3/21/96 8:30am EST
Internet Users, Publishers, Online Service
Providers, Non-Profit Groups, and Civil Liberties
Advocates Fight The CDA in Court
| The Complaint | | What You Can Do | | CIEC Members and Plaintiffs | | Court Documents |
CDA is unconstitutional, Fails to Recognize Unique Nature of the Internet
A coalition representing a broad spectrum of Internet users , Libraries publishers, content providers
and access providers filed a lawsuit on Monday February 26, 1996 in a Federal Court in Philadelphia
PA seeking to overturn the recently enacted Communications Decency Act. The challenge argues that
the Internet is a unique communications technology which deserves First Amendment protections at
least as broad as those enjoyed as by the print medium.
The group, known as the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition (CIEC - pronounced "seek") is
coordinated by the Center for Democracy and Technology , America Online, and the American
Library Association, and others, including People for the American Way. Its 35 members include
libraries, book publishers, newspaper publishers, editors,advertisers, commercial onlineservice
providers, ISP's, non-profit groups, and civil liberties advocates.
Join the Fight To Protect Free Speech and the Future of the Internet!
CIEC is inviting individual Internet Users to join this landmark case to help protect freedom of
speech and the future of the Internet as a viable means of free expression, education, and commerce.
If you post messages to a public listserv, Usenet newsgroup, participate in an IRC or chat session, or
maintain your own World Wide Web page, ftp or gopher archive, you could potentially face
$250,000 fines or 2 years in jail if someone, somewhere considers the material you post to be
"indecent" or "patently offensive"
Over 31,000 Internet Users have already joined! (Last Update 5:30 pm EST 03/20)
It'snot too late to join!
Information on how you can join the CIEC Court Challenge
The Complaint
On Monday, February 26, the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition, the American Library
Association, America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy, Microsoft, NETCOM, The Commercial Internet
eXchange, The Newspaper Association of America, Wired Magazine, Hotwired, Families Against
Internet Censorhip, and several other plaintiffs filed suit in a Federal Court in Philadelphia PA
seeking to overturn the Communications Decency Act on the grounds that it is a violation of the First
Amendment rights of all Internet users.
In a 73-page complaint that details the history of the Internet and outlines how the network operates,
the CIEC intends to educate the court on how the Internet functions and why the broad content
regulations imposed by the CDA threaten the very existence of the Internet as a viable medium for
free expression, education, and commerce. Among other things, the CIEC challenge argues that:
The Internet is a unique communications medium which deserves First Amendment
protections at least as broad as those afforded to print media.
Individual users and Parents, not the Federal Government, should determine for themselves
and their children what material comes into their homes based on their own tastes and values.
The CDA will be ineffective at protecting children from "indecent" or "patently" offensive
material online.
The CIEC challenge is separate from the case brought by the ACLU, EFF, EPIC, Planned
Parenthood, and several other plaintiffs in the same Philadelphia court on February 8, 1996. The
ACLU effort has made significant and important headway in the past several weeks. The CIEC case
will reinforce the ACLU's efforts while focusing on the unique nature of the Internet and alternatives
to government content regulations. On February 27, the ACLU and CIEC cases were officially
consolidated. Both the ACLU and CIEC attorneys are closely coordinating their efforts.
In order to demonstrate the nature of the Internet and the effectiveness of user empowerment
technologies, CIEC has arranged to wire the court room directly to the Internet. The Center for
Democracy and Technology, with the help of Bell Atlantic and Philadelphia law firm Schnader,
Harrison, Segal & Lewis (an amicus counsel in the case), has installed a T-1 circuit and a small local
area network in the Ceremonial Room of the Philadelphia court. To the best of our knowledge, this is
the first time in history that a Federal Courtroom has been wired to the Net for the purposes of a
Trial.
The outcome of the legal challenges to the CDA will likely determine the legal status of speech on
the Internet and the future of the FirstAmendment in the Information Age.
CIEC Court Documents
An HTML Index of the complaint filed on February 26, 1996
Text of memo supporting the motion for preliminary injunction on CDA filed on March 1,
1996(Large file - 160k)
Compressed files and HTML versions available soon
Other Relevant Information and Related Court Challenges
CDT Policy Post - DEADLINE EXTENDED to join CDA legal challenge
CDT Policy Post - CIEC Files Motion to Overturn CDA
CDT Policy Post - Coalition Challenges CDA, Net Users Join Fight
CDT's Communications Decency Act Issues Page
HOTWIRED's special report on the court challenge
Information about the ACLU, EFF, EPIC, Planned Parenthood, and Other Plaintiffs'
Challenge
The Department of Justice's Response to the ACLU's Request for a Temporary Restraining
Order
Text of Judge Ronald Buckwalter's decision to partially grant the ACLU's request for a
Temporary RestrainingOrder
Text of Janet Reno's statement about the Department of Justice's policy regarding the
abortion-related speech prohibitions contained within the Telecommunications Reform Bill
Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition Members and Plaintiffs
The Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition is a large and diverse group of Internet users,
businesses, non-profit groups, and civil liberties advocates, who share the common goal of protecting
the First Amendment and the viability of the Internet as a means of free expression, education, and
commerce. CIEC members believe that parents, not the United States Government, are the best and
most appropriate judges of what material is appropriate for themselves and their children.
Named Plaintiffs in the CIEC Challenge to the Communications Decency Act
American Library Association
America Online, Inc.
American Booksellers Association
American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression
American Society of Newspaper Editors
Apple Computer, Inc.
Association of American Publishers
Association of Publishers, Editors and Writers
Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition
Commercial Internet eXchange
Compuserve, Inc.
Families Against Internet Censorship
Freedom to Read Foundation
HotWired Ventures Ltd.
Interactive Digital Software Association
Interactive Services Association
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Network
NETCOM On-Line Communications Services, Inc.
Newspaper Association of America
OpNet
Prodigy, Inc.
Society of Professional Journalists
Wired Ventures Ltd.
Members of the Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition
Americans for Tax Reform
Association of American University Presses, Inc.
Association of National Advertisers
Association of Research Librarians
Center for Democracy and Technology
Coalition for Networked Information
Media Access Project
Media Institute
Microsystems Software, Inc.
National Association of State Universities & Land Grant Colleges
National Newspaper Association
People for the American Way
Recording Industry Association of America
Software Publishers Association
Special Libraries Association
Surfwatch Software, Inc.
University of California Santa Barbara Library
And You!
Last Update March 22, 1996 | For More Information Write ciec@cdt.org
Return to the CDT Home Page
Return to CDT's Net-Censorship Issues Page