The Hacker's Encyclopedia 1998/hackers_encyclopedia.iso/zines/cud/cud890.txt

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Computer underground Digest    Thu  Dec 19, 1996   Volume 8 : Issue 90
                           ISSN  1004-042X

       Editor: Jim Thomas ([e-mail])
       News Editor: Gordon Meyer ([e-mail])
       Archivist: Brendan Kehoe
       Shadow Master: Stanton McCandlish
       Field Agent Extraordinaire:   David Smith
       Shadow-Archivists: Dan Carosone / Paul Southworth
                          Ralph Sims / Jyrki Kuoppala
                          Ian Dickinson
       Cu Digest Homepage: http://www.soci.niu.edu/~cudigest

CONTENTS, #8.90 (Thu, Dec 19, 1996)

File 1--NetAction Notes No. 9
File 2--Report of working party on illegal/harmful Net Content  (fwd)
File 3--Cu Digest Header Info (unchanged since 13 Dec, 1996)

CuD ADMINISTRATIVE, EDITORIAL, AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION ApPEARS IN
THE CONCLUDING FILE AT THE END OF EACH ISSUE.

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

Date: Thu, 5 Dec 1996 02:39:25 -0800 (PST)
From: Audrie Krause <[e-mail]>
Subject: File 1--NetAction Notes No. 9

NetAction Notes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Published by NetAction          Issue No. 9             December 5, 1996
Repost where appropriate. Copyright and subscription info at end of message.
* * * * * * *
IN THIS ISSUE:
Resources for Virtual Activists
How to Help NetAction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Resources for Virtual Activists

There are many useful resources available for Virtual Activists, and the
number and variety of these resources is growing constantly.  This issue of
NetAction Notes focuses on some that I consider particularly useful.  I
welcome feedback from readers about other online resources for political
activism, and will pass along information about your favorites in future
issues of NetAction Notes.  There is also an extensive listing of activist
resources on the NetAction Web site at: <http://www.netaction.org>.

This sampler includes a Web site for contacting Congress, a few good books
on the subject of Internet and grassroots activism, upcoming conferences on
the role of the Internet in politics and the potential for fundraising
online, and an innovative online training in civil disobedience.

Since all of these resources are aimed primarily at activists in the U.S., I
hope that readers outside the U.S. will share information about similar
online resources elsewhere.

Congress Online ==========

Two consulting firms recently announced a new interactive information
service that makes it possible for organizations to more easily mobilize
grassroots political activism.  One of the services is available without
cost on the Internet, and is an excellent tool for activists to bookmark and
non-profit organizations with Web sites to link to.  The Web site provides
contact information and background on members of Congress.

The Web site is called Congress.org <http://www.congress.org>.  There is
also a fee-based service, aimed at corporations and trade associations, that
customizes the information for the customer's own Web sites for their
members and other users.  Volunteers with technical skills might want to
consider helping non-profit groups in their community develop similar
resources, since grassroots groups are seldom able to pay for these services.

The Congress.org Web site includes a comprehensive database of
Representatives and Senators, their committee assignments, and a list of key
people on their staffs.  The information has been updated for the new 105th
Congress, which will convene on Jan. 7, 1997.  The site also includes a
feature that enables visitors to find their own members of Congress by
typing in the nine-digit ZIP code.  The developers say this is a more
accurate system than Web sites that use the five-digit ZIP code.  The
individual listings have a wealth of background information, and the site
includes a primer on the legislative process, and tips on lobbying.

The site is a joint project of Issue Dynamics Inc. (IDI) <http://idi.net>
and Capitol Advantage (CA) <http://congress.nw.dc.us/>.

A Few Good Books ==========

The Activist's Handbook by Randy Shaw, and NetActivism: How Citizens Use the
Internet, (ADD URL) by Ed Schwartz, are two great resources for longtime
activists and those who are just getting started.  And to help pay the
bills, Fundraising on the Internet, by Nick Allen, Mal Warwick, and Michael
Stein, provides practical information on how non-profit organizations can
use the Internet to communicate with members and raise funds to support
activist work.

Randy Shaw is Director and Supervising Attorney for the Tenderloin Housing
Clinic in San Francisco, and a longtime activist on urban issues.  A primer
on effective organizing strategies, The Activist's Handbook explains how to
inspire "fear and loathing" in politicians, how to build diverse coalitions,
and how to harness the media, the courts, and the electoral process to
achieve one's goals. The pro-active strategies discussed in the book are
useful whether the goal is to improve housing for the urban poor, preserve a
natural resource, or expose a corporate abuse.

The Activist's Handbook Web site also has links to The Activist's Angle:
Analysis, Advice, and Strategy, which is a monthly column that elaborates on
the strategies and tactics described in The Activist's Handbook.  The column
is currently available on the Web, but when I spoke with Randy earlier this
week he indicated that he may soon be distributing it via E-mail.

Information on how to purchase The Activist's Handbook by mail-order or fax
is available on the Web at <http://www.igc.org/activist/>.

Ed Schwartz is a longtime activist and political leader in Philadelphia and
heads the Institute for the Study of Civic Values,
<http://libertynet.org/~edcivic/iscvhome.html>. He was one of the first
activists to recognize the potential of the Internet as a tool for
grassroots political organizing. NetActivism is an excellent non-partisan
primer on using the Internet for organizing, outreach, and
coalition-building around political issues.  The book is useful both to
longtime activists who are new to the Internet and longtime computer users
who are new to activism.

On a more personal note, I had the honor of meeting Ed earlier this fall
when he agreed to make a brief detour to San Francisco to meet with Bay Area
Internet activists while on the West Coast to speak in Portland, OR.  As a
result of the seeds he planted during that visit, one of the individuals who
attended his talk is now volunteering technical support to set up a
community network in San Francisco's Sunset District.  Information on the
neighborhood network that Ed helped establish in Philadelphia is available
at <http://libertynet.org/community/phila/natl.html>.

NetActivism may be purchased directly via the Web at
<http://www.netaction.org>. O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., has agreed to
donate a portion of each sale made via NetAction's Web page to NetAction.

Fundraising on the Internet explains how non-profit organizations are
beginning to use E-mail and the Web to communicate with existing members,
attract new members, and raise funds to support their mission.  Nick Allen
and Mal Warwick are consultants at Mal Warwick & Associates, a direct mail
fundraising and marketing consulting firm that assists non-profits with
membership-building and fundraising.  Michael Stein is the outreach and
special projects manager at the Institute for Global Communication (IGC).

Fundraising on the Internet includes a chapter I wrote about incorporating
E-mail outreach into the organizing of a special event, as well as numerous
examples of innovative and successful Internet fundraising strategies.
The book also explains how traditional direct mail strategies can be
transferred to the Internet.

This book is available by calling a toll-free number, 1-800-217-7377.  In
the interest of full disclosure, I should add that I do *not* receive
royalties for the chapter I contributed, which was based on my experience in
organizing a successful fundraising dinner for Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility (CPSR).

Activist Conferences ==========

For activists in the San Francisco Bay Area -- or those who'd like a good
excuse to visit -- two upcoming conferences are of interest.  I have a
limited number of discount registration forms for those might be interested.

The all-day Politics Online Conference will take place Thursday, Dec. 12, in
the South San Francisco.  Organizers planned this event for political,
public affairs, public relations, media and technology professionals
interested in learning in a non-partisan environment how best to deploy
online communication technologies.  Topics include pioneering online efforts
of the '96 campaigns, and examples of Internet activism.

Information is available by E-mail at [e-mail], or on the Web
at <http://www.flyingkite.com/main/caconfer.htm>.  The first Politics Online
Conference was first held in April in Washington, D.C., and transcripts from
that event are at <http://www.flyingkite.com/main/politics-online.htm>.

A second conference scheduled for Friday, January 17, 1997, in San
Francisco, will focus on Fundraising on the Internet.  I attended the first
of these events last July, and found it to be a very useful introduction to
how non-profit organizations can use the Internet to communicate with and
motivate their members and use the Web and E-mail as fundraising tools.

For registration information, send E-mail to [e-mail], or phone
Mwosi Swenson at 510-843-8888.  Participants will also receive a copy of
Fundraising on the Internet.

Civil Disobedience Online ==========

ACT UP/NY (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), Free Speech TV, and DIVA TV
(Damned Interfering Video Activists) recently teamed up to produce a
30-minute civil disobedience training over the Internet.  This innovative
effort was one of the first attempts to use the Internet's video and audio
capabilities to train political activists.

Video and audio versions of this training are available on the Web sites of
Free Speech TV at <http://www.freespeech.org> and ACT UP at
<http://www.actupny.org>.
You will need a sound card, and the RealAudio player (available for
free at <http://www.realaudio.com> or the VDOLive player (available for free
at <http://www.vdo.net/download/> to access the site.

ACT UP, which is well known for AIDS awareness campaigns directed at
government inaction and drug company profiteering  AIDS, is generally
credited with reviving disobedience tactics in the U.S. after a period in
which the tactic was not widely used by progressive activists.  The
30-minute online training is distilled from the five-hour sessions that ACT
UP regularly hosts.  It explains how and why activists use civil
disobedience and describes the steps that need to be taken to ensure that a
civil disobedience campaign is both safe and successful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How to Help NetAction

Membership in NetAction supports continued publication of NetAction Notes,
as well as a wide range of organizing and training activities.  NetAction
projects include helping grassroots organizations harness the power of the
Internet as a tool for outreach and advocacy; helping activists who are
already using the Internet do a more effective job of building a base of
grassroots support for technology-based social and political issues; and
promoting more widespread access to information technology by organizing
hands-on demonstrations of the Internet.

Please join NetAction today by sending a check payable to NetAction/Tides
Center to: NetAction, 601 Van Ness Ave. #631, San Francisco, CA 94102.

Regular membership is $50 per year; student/senior/low-income membership is
$25 per year; sustaining membership is $100 per year; non-profit
organization membership is $125 per year; and corporate membership is $250
per year.

NetAction brochures are available for distribution at conferences and other
events.  If you would like a supply of brochures to distribute, send email to:
[e-mail], and include your name and the mailing address where you
would like the brochures sent.

Thanks for your support!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright 1996 by NetAction/The Tides Center.  All rights reserved.
Material may be reposted or reproduced for non-commercial use provided
NetAction is cited as the source.

NetAction is a project of The Tides Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization. NetAction is dedicated to promoting effective grassroots
citizen action campaigns by creating coalitions that link online activists
with grassroots organizations, providing training to online activists in
effective organizing strategies, and educating the public, policymakers and
the media about technology-based social and political issues.

To subscribe to NetAction Notes, send a message to: <[e-mail]>.
The body of the message should state: <subscribe netaction>

To unsubscribe at any time, send a message to: <[e-mail]>
The body of the message should state: <unsubscribe netaction>

For more information about NetAction, contact Audrie Krause:
E-mail: [e-mail] * Phone: [phone] * Web: http://www.netaction.org
Or write to: NetAction  601 Van Ness Ave., No. 631   San Francisco, CA 94102

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

Date: Wed, 4 Dec 1996 14:31:22 +0100 (NFT)
From: "Ulf [ISO-8859-1] M=F6ller" <[e-mail]>
Subject: File 2--Report of working party on illegal/harmful Net Content  (fwd)

Source - [e-mail]

http://www2.echo.lu/legal/en/internet/content/wpen.html

                                 WORKING PARTY

                     ON ILLEGAL AND HARMFUL CONTENT
                            ON THE INTERNET

                                 Report

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

 1. Introduction

 At the informal Council meeting held in Bologna on 24 April 1996,
 European Telecommunications Ministers and Culture Ministers identified
 the issue of illegal and harmful content on the Internet as an urgent
 priority for analysis and action. While it was recognised that
 existing national laws apply to the Internet, agreement in a wider
 context appeared necessary to address the challenges raised by the
 specific nature of the Internet. The Commission was therefore asked to
 produce an analysis of the problems and to assess in particular the
 desirability of European or international regulation.

 At the end of September 1996 different Councils discussed subjects
 that were relevant for the request emerging from the Bologna Council.
 The informal meeting of Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs (26-27
 September 1996, Dublin) discussed further co-operation between Member
 States to combat trade in human beings and sexual abuse of children,
 and reached informal agreement on three action projects.

 The Ministers of Culture and Audiovisual meeting in Galway on 25 and
 26 September 1996 welcomed the fact that the issue of protection of
 minors and human dignity, in particular on the Internet, was going to
 be addressed in a Green Paper which would soon be submitted by the
 Commission.

 The Council of Telecommunications Ministers of 27 September 1996,
 following on from the informal Bologna Council held a broad exchange
 of views on the question of preventing the dissemination, via the
 Internet or similar networks, of illegal material and in particular
 material containing, or likely to lead to, violence against or sexual
 exploitation of children.

 It noted the transnational dimension of this problem and the
 consequent need to address it at national, European as well as
 international level.

 The Council agreed to extend the working party established following
 the Bologna informal meeting to include representatives of the
 Ministers of Telecommunications as well as access and service
 providers, content industries and users.

 The Council requested the Working Party to present concrete proposals
 for possible measures to combat the illegal use of Internet or similar
 networks in time for the Telecommunications Council of 28 November.
 The UK measures presented during the Council meeting should also be
 taken into account.

 The Industry Council of 8 October 1996 recognised the need for further
 analysis of the issues underlying development of information society
 policy internationally and the need for co-ordination between
 initiatives relating to the subject. The German proposal to host an
 international conference dedicated to this end to be prepared in close
 co-operation with the Commission and Member States was welcomed.

 The present report is a first response to the Council's request of 27
 September 1996. It takes account of the two papers that were recently
 published by the Commission: the Communication on illegal and harmful
 content on the Internet and the Green Paper on the Protection of
 Minors and Human Dignity in audiovisual and information services and
 elaborates in practical terms some of the proposals.

 2. Scope of the report

 Illegal content in the context of this report means content which is
 forbidden by national law. Although breaking the law may involve
 different types of sanction (civil damages for breach of copyright,
 for instance 1), the most serious types of illegal content are
 forbidden by the criminal law, which is the type of illegal content
 which this report refers to. Harmful content means both content which
 is allowed but whose distribution is restricted (adults only, for
 instance) and content which may offend certain users. This
 distinction, which is not intended as a legal definition, is dealt
 with in detail in the Communication on illegal and harmful content on
 the Internet 2 and the Green Paper on the Protection of Minors and
 Human Dignity in audiovisual and information services 3.

 Given the terms of the conclusions of the 27 September
 Telecommunication Council, and given the short time span available,
 this report concentrates on how to combat illegal and harmful content
 on the Internet. It recommends a number of measures that could be
 taken by the Member States and the Commission in relation to this
 subject. It indicates how the measures can be put into practice and
 who should be the lead actors in this process.

 At this stage the report does not pretend to give a full picture of
 all relevant issues in relation to illegal and harmful content on the
 Internet, nor does it deal with other on-line services. It focuses on
 the most pressing issues and on the actions that can be initiated by
 the actors concerned at short notice. It does not prejudice the more
 extensive discussion due to take place on the Communication and the
 Green Paper.

 The report is based on the discussions in the Working Party meetings
 that took place between 27 September and 28 October 1996. The first
 full meeting of the extended working party took place on 10 October
 1996 in Brussels. At the end of the meeting, participants were
 requested to present their views on the various issues raised during
 the meeting. Reaction from Member States' representatives were
 requested in particular with regard to the specific legal situation
 vis-=E0-vis the Internet in their country, as well as the possible
 technical solutions envisaged. Industry representatives were asked to
 react especially in relation to self regulation and possible technical
 solutions.

 A draft of this report was considered at a meeting on 28 October 1996
 and the report was finalised on the basis of comments made at that
 meeting and subsequently in writing. The report reflects the views of
 all participants in the Working Party, be they Government
 representatives, industry players or users. It does not necessarily
 reflect the official views of the European Commission.

 3. Some examples of initiatives at the level of the Member States

 The remit of the Telecommunications Council to the Working Party
 specifically mentioned the recent initiatives taken in the UK. During
 the discussions of the Working Party, there was also reference to the
 initiative in the Netherlands. The French delegation also presented
 their initiative in the field of international co-operation. The
 German delegation made a written contribution. All these initiatives
 are briefly described below.

 The UK initiative

 The R3 Safety-Net initiative in the UK has been developed in
 discussions facilitated by the Department of Trade and Industry
 between service providers, the Metropolitan Police and the Home
 Office. The immediate and particular focus of these proposals is on
 child pornography, though the approach may also be applicable in the
 future to other types of illegal material available in the Internet.

 The R3 Safety-Net approach incorporate three key elements:

    * Rating - a legality indicator for the "normal" content of each
      news group, and assistance in rating activities (including
      adoption and promotion of the Platform for Internet Content
      Selection - PICS)
    * Reporting - a hot-line for complaints about illegal material
      accessible via automated telephone, mail, e-mail or fax
    * Responsibility - content providers should take responsibility for
      rating their own pages, and service providers should take
      responsibility for removing content brought to their attention
      which is persistently and deliberately misrated, or illegal.

 The approach establishes an independent foundation to support the
 adoption by Internet service providers and users of Responsible
 policies based on Rating and Reporting of illegal material which will
 provide the hotline for complaints.

 The Netherlands

 In May 1996, the Dutch Internet providers community established a
 "hot-line" or central facility for the reporting of child pornography
 on the Internet 4. The Minister of Justice fully supported this
 initiative. It generated widely positive reactions, including from
 Internet users. Until now, it has functioned very satisfactorily:
 content providers (users, subscribers) of child pornography in The
 Netherlands have removed their illegal material after the first
 warning of notifying the police, making subsequent action by the
 police unnecessary. In some cases, violations not reported to the hot
 line but nevertheless having become known to the police, required
 police action. The reporting facility operates on a voluntary basis
 and is financed by Dutch Internet providers. The Dutch National
 Criminal Intelligence Service has been involved. Presently, the
 reporting facility and the police are further improving their
 relations.

 France

 A proposal for an agreement on international co-operation with regard
 to the Internet was presented to a working party of the OECD by France
 at a meeting in Seoul on 22 and 23 October 1996. This proposal sets
 out a series of principles relating to the applicable law and the
 factors to be taken into account when determining liability. It
 provides for signatories to set up national regulatory frameworks
 including a Code of Conduct, with mutual exchange of information on
 the regulations adopted and an agreement to co-operate in order to
 approximate national practices with regard to the Internet. The
 proposal also includes a section on judicial and police co-operation,
 in particular relating to use of networks for the purpose of
 terrorism, drug trafficking and organised international crime.

 Germany

 In November 1996, Germany made proposals to improve self-regulation of
 Internet content by extending the existing self-regulatory system for
 content in the press and broadcasting. Providers offering harmful
 content are to be required to appoint commissioners for the protection
 of young persons who are to act as points of contact and advisers for
 users. Providers are also given support for setting up joint
 self-regulatory facilities.

 The initiative makes clear that the criminal law and the law on the
 protection of minors apply to Internet content, even if it is only
 stored in a volatile manner.

 The Internet Content Task Force, to which the major Internet Service
 Providers belong, has also announced a new initiative 5 including a
 hot-line and co-ordinated technical measures for blocking access to
 illegal content. Self-regulators will intervene on their own
 initiative, after review by an appraiser, to remove or block access to
 content considered as criminal internationally such as child
 pornography. They will act at the request of the law-enforcement
 authorities where content is contrary to a specific rule of German
 law.

 4. Proposals for further action

 The Working Party has taken the Communication on illegal and harmful
 content on the Internet as a basis for elaborating the following
 proposals. These would need to be implemented according to the
 respective competences of Community and Member States. Four important
 points are central to the approach taken by the working party:

 1. The Internet is a positive instrument, empowering citizens and
 educators, lowering the barriers to the creation and distribution of
 content and offering universal access to ever richer sources of
 digital information. Any action taken to deal with atypical use for
 illegal and harmful content should not have a disproportionate impact
 on Internet users and industry as a whole.

 2. Information on the Internet should be allowed the same free flow as
 paper-based information. Any restrictions should respect fundamental
 rights such as freedom of expression and the right to privacy.

 3. Responsibility for prosecuting and punishing those responsible for
 illegal content remains with the national law-enforcement authorities.

 4. Industry has a responsibility to report illegal content and to
 remove it from their systems, and can be assisted by self-regulatory
 bodies. Users should also report illegal content to hot-lines..
 Filtering software and rating systems can help users to avoid harmful
 contents.

 a) Self-regulation

 Co-operation from the industry and a fully functioning system of
 self-regulation are essential to limiting the flow of illegal content
 on the Internet. The issue of self-regulation and liability (see
 below) are closely connected and need to be examined together.

 i. Internet service providers and users should establish
 representative bodies in all Member States

 Self-regulation implies participation by industry and users: in order
 to do this, bodies need to exist which represent industry and users.
 Users can be represented either by specific Internet user groups or by
 consumer groups.

 ii. Self-regulation must fulfil certain minimum requirements

    * It must not hamper the ability to provide services freely within
      the internal market and must respect competition rules.

 Freedom to provide services must be ensured by any regulation of new
 services, whether state regulation or self-regulation. The Commission
 has proposed a transparency mechanism for state regulation of new
 services.

    * It should respect fundamental freedoms such as freedom of
      expression and the right to privacy.

 The self-regulation system should include

    * a Code of Conduct for internet service providers (access
      providers, host service providers and anonymous remailers)
    * a hot-line for complaints from the public, with appropriate
      safeguards against misuse
    * an independent self-regulatory body, including representatives of
      industry and users, to advise on whether or not a breach of the
      Code of Conduct has occurred (without prejudice to the due
      process of law)

 Appropriate publicity should be given to the existence of Codes of
 Conduct, hot-lines and self-regulatory bodies. Codes of Conduct should
 take into account the views of user groups.

 iii. Member States should encourage industry to set up a
 self-regulation system, become members of it and respect its rules

 The self-regulation system needs to be in compliance with and
 supported by the legal system. Service providers are subject to the
 law, but compliance with self-regulation could be used as evidence
 that reasonable efforts have been used to remove or prevent access to
 illegal content.

 Member States have the power to take measures which could be used only
 if a service provider failed to comply with the rules of the
 self-regulation system, or if the self-regulation system ceased to
 function effectively. They can also require that the Code of Conduct
 be formally approved.

 Observation of the Code of Conduct could also be made a condition of
 contracts between network operators and service providers, provided
 that network operators are not required to act as a regulatory body.

 iv. The role of self-regulatory bodies

 The role of self-regulators is to use their best efforts to restrict
 the flow of illegal content on the Internet. Where self-regulators
 become aware of illegal content, they should take steps to ensure its
 removal by informing the host service providers. Where the content
 emanates from abroad, they should pass information to the host
 country's self-regulator. They should also if requested transmit
 appropriate information to the police to allow them to fulfil their
 tasks, or to exchange information with another police force.

 The hot-line could be reinforced by "citizens' watch" groups set up by
 user organisations who would pledge to report to the hot-line illegal
 content found during their use of Internet.

 If necessary, appropriate legislation should make clear that
 possession of illegal material by those involved in self-regulation
 for purposes of self-regulation is not illegal.

 v. There should be European co-ordination of representative and
 self-regulation bodies

 The Commission should collaborate in establishing and contributing
 towards the initial cost of co-ordination at European level of
 industry, user and self-regulation bodies. This co-ordination should
 include common standards for national Codes of Conduct. A European
 network of hot-lines should be established.

 b) Liability

 i. Internet service providers should only be liable for illegal
 content where they are themselves the content provider, or where they
 have been informed and failed to take reasonable steps to remove
 illegal content from a service which they offer.

 It is important to identify accurately the chain of responsibilities
 in order to place the liability for illegal content on those who
 create it.

 Service providers and network operators involved in storing,
 transmitting or facilitating access to content should only be liable
 to the extent that they have been informed of illegal content by the
 appropriate law-enforcement body or self-regulatory body and can take
 measures to remove such content from circulation. They should not be
 required actively to seek out illegal material. If they become aware
 of material which appears to be illegal, they should report it to the
 self-regulatory body.

 ii. Anonymous use of the Internet

 Anonymous use of the Internet takes a number of forms: anonymous
 browsing, anonymous publishing of content on the World Wide Web,
 anonymous e-mail messages and anonymous posting of messages to
 newsgroups.

 In accordance with the principle of freedom of expression and the
 right to privacy, use of anonymity is legal . Users may wish to access
 data and browse anonymously so that their personal details cannot be
 recorded and used without their knowledge. Content providers on the
 Internet may wish to remain anonymous for legitimate purposes, such as
 where a victim of a sexual offence or a person suffering from a
 dependency such as alcohol or drugs, a disease or a disability wishes
 to share experiences with others without revealing their identity, or
 where a person wishes to report a crime without fear of retaliation. A
 user should not be required to justify anonymous use.

 Anonymity may however also be used by those engaged in illegal acts to
 complicate the task of the police in identifying and apprehending the
 person responsible. Further examination is required of the conditions
 under which measures to identify criminals for law enforcement
 purposes can be achieved in the same way as in the "off-line" world.
 Precedents exist in laws establishing conditions and procedures for
 tapping and listening into telephone calls. Anonymity should not be
 used as a cloak to protect criminals.

 c) Technical Measures

 Filtering and rating

 Use of filtering and rating is a means whereby Internet users are
 enabled to select categories of content which they prefer to receive
 or do not wish to receive, and to set parameters for use by children
 for whom they are responsible. Use of such systems should be voluntary
 and a matter for individual choice.

 In particular, the PICS standard launched by the international World
 Wide Web consortium with EC support should be vigorously promoted as
 the means by which such ratings can be expressed and used to empower
 parental filtering of material.

 i. Content-providers should be encouraged to rate their documents.

 In order to bring about a rapid acceptance of filtering and rating, a
 wide coverage of sites should be obtained. This can most easily be
 achieved if content providers participate fully in the rating process.

 ii. The Commission should foster applied research especially into the
 development of third-party rating systems to meet different needs and
 take account of Europe's cultural and linguistic diversity.

 Rating carried out by independent third parties ensures a standard
 approach to content rating and deals with cases where the content
 provider fails to rate properly. Other benefits for users include
 rating systems which guarantee respect of their convictions or which
 deal with specific needs not met by the content provider's rating
 system.

 Privacy-enhancing and tracing technologies

 iii. The Commission should include improved privacy-enhancing and
 tracing mechanisms as a priority in its research programme, and
 results made available from existing programmes as soon as possible.

 Users should be given the possibility to make the most of the enormous
 potential of modern computing technology to protect their legitimate
 right to privacy, while still allowing law-enforcement authorities to
 carry out their duties.

 Research into methods of providing users with increased levels of
 discrimination and intelligent filtering will also be promoted as part
 of the natural evolution of filtering and rating system. Users should
 be given the possibility to screen out anonymous publishing on the
 World Wide Web and to refuse to receive anonymous e-mails. Newsgroups,
 whether actively moderated or not, should be able to declare a policy
 of refusal of anonymous messages. Technical progress is needed to be
 able to realise these objectives.

 Tracing technologies

 Since some anonymous services may continue to be offered in countries
 where legal traceability is not guaranteed, urgent steps should also
 be taken to improve means of identifying where and by whom illegal
 content is distributed.

 Attention should be paid to the process by which technical standards
 for digital communication are adopted since the design of such
 standards may affect the possibilities of law-enforcement bodies to
 track criminal activities.

 d) Further suggestions

 The following are suggestions of the group which are an essential
 complement to other measures proposed.

 i. Criminal law and criminal procedure and the penalties for offences
 should be appropriate

 Member States should examine carefully whether the rules in force are
 adequate to deal with illegal content transmitted by the Internet, in
 particular with respect to offences against children, and see how to
 ensure a more coherent treatment of child pornography in criminal law.
 The issue of liability for criminal content should be addressed (see
 above).

 ii. Member States should train and equip police and the courts to deal
 with illegal content and use of Internet for illegal purposes

 The international nature and technical features of the Internet mean
 that specialised training and equipment should be made available to
 help the police and the courts in their tasks.

 iii. Police should take advantage of advice and information from
 self-regulation bodies

 The police should use advice and information from self-regulation
 bodies. A single liaison point between police and self-regulators in
 each Member State should be set up.

 iv. Member States should examine how to improve co-operation between
 them in the context of the relevant areas of common interest set out
 in article K1 of the Treaty on European Union.

 e) International co-operation

 The proposals described above should be implemented not only within
 the European Union, but also internationally in an appropriate
 framework. This applies particularly to police and judicial
 co-operation and to dealing with liability for illegal content and
 anonymous use of Internet. Any international agreement should be in
 conformity with fundamental rights and European traditions of free
 expression. At the operational level, co-operation between hot-line
 operators and between operators of rating systems and shared research
 into filtering software and tracing systems should be promoted.

 f) Support measures

 Awareness and parental education

 Awareness activities should be encouraged so that users understand the
 opportunities as well as the drawbacks of the Internet. Parents and
 educators, in particular, should be sufficiently informed so as to be
 able to take full advantage of parental control software and rating
 systems. Industry, self-regulatory bodies and user groups could
 collaborate in providing suitable material, including explanations,
 illustrations and animation. This should be made available on the
 Internet and to other media who should be encouraged to produce
 articles or programmes aimed at the target groups of parents,
 educators and young Internet users.

 Web Site

 The Web site on illegal and harmful content should include:

    * Links to hot-lines and instructions on how and where to complain
      about illegal material
    * Advice to parents and teachers on how to use the Internet and
      filtering and rating (multi-lingual)
    * Links to filtering software and rating systems
    * Information from self-regulation bodies, industry codes of
      conduct

 The proposed Web site should contain content from a variety of sources
 so as to provide a platform and a meeting place for all concerned in
 combating illegal content and providing means for dealing with harmful
 content. It should include the possibility for feedback from users,
 and links to other sites with neutral and reliable information for
 consumers about the Internet.

 5. Follow-up of the working party

 The Working Party considers that it has been extremely useful, even in
 the brief time available, to have met as a group including
 representatives of Member States, industry (network operators,
 hardware manufacturers, software suppliers, Internet service
 providers, content providers) and users. A platform with a
 representative group of all concerned should follow progress in
 implementing proposals and continue to discuss outstanding issues.

 Annex: List of participants

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

 Footnotes

 1 Breach of copyright can also entail criminal sanctions

 2 Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the Economic
 and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions COM(96) 487

 3 COM(96) 483

 4 e-mail: [e-mail] see also http://www.xs4all.nl/~meldpunt/

 5 http://www.anwalt.de/ictf/s961104e.htm

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