CDT POLICY POST Volume 6, Number 18 September 29, 2000

A BRIEFING ON PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES AFFECTING CIVIL LIBERTIES ONLINE
from
THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY

CONTENTS:
(1) CDT Expands Online Privacy Guide, Other Data Privacy Resources
(2) Tutorial Reviews Online Political Activity, Federal Regulations
(3) Expanded CDT Resources Focus on Cyber-security and Gov't Surveillance
(4) CDT and Internews Outline Principles for Internet Policy
(5) Online Domain Names Election Approaches; CDT Educates Voters
(6) Test the Publius Censorship-Resistant Publishing System
(7) Online Resource Library Is Expanded
(8) Use Our New Feedback Feature

Editor's Note: We usually don't use Policy Posts to toot our own horn, but we were very busy over the summer (with a wonderful group of interns) improving the resources available on our Web site.

(1) CDT Expands Online Privacy Guide, Other Data Privacy Resources

The Internet privacy issue is hotter than ever and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future, as Internet users, online companies and lawmakers look for the right balance of law, self-regulation and technology tools to enhance user control and protect privacy.

In response to this growing interest, we have substantially expanded the CDT Guide to Online Privacy. The Privacy Guide includes --

• details on existing privacy laws and regulations;
• a summary of current policy debates;
• a guide to Web sites privacy policies for consumers and companies;
• our Top 10 Ways to Protect Your Privacy.

The expanded guide is at http://www.cdt.org/privacy/guide/

In addition to the Guide, the CDT Privacy Pages have been reorganized, expanded and updated. Detailed information is now more easily available concerning privacy issues for children, medical privacy, financial privacy, online profiling, legislation, as well as a history of past privacy issues such as the Lexis-Nexis P-Track controversy. http://www.cdt.org/privacy/.

At Operation Opt-Out, we have added to the list of companies that allow you to opt-out from having your personal information sold or disclosed. In addition to opt-out information for the credit reporting agencies, we have added contact information explaining how to opt-out from five different companies that sell information about you. We also now have opt-out information on 15 companies that perform online profiling through the use of cookies associated with banner advertising. These 15 companies allow you to choose not to be profiled. Even if you used Operation Opt-Out before, you may want to ensure you are entirely opted-out by revisiting this site. http://opt-out.cdt.org

(2) Tutorial Reviews Online Political Activity, Federal Regulations

The Internet is being used by ordinary citizens for political advocacy outside the control of the political parties, the traditional media, or the moneyed special interests. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has been trying to figure out how this activity should be regulated, if at all, under the federal campaign finance laws.

To assist Members and staff of the FEC, Members of Congress, the press, and Internet users interested in using the power of the Internet for political advocacy, CDT created an online guide and tutorial to show how the Internet is being used by ordinary citizens for political advocacy and to explain why this manifestation of democratic participation should be left unregulated. http://www.cdt.org/speech/political/guide/

(3) Expanded CDT Resources Focus on Cyber-security and Gov't Surveillance

Computers networks are vulnerable to many forms of attack and cyber-security needs to be improved, but not at the price of privacy. Because we see hacking and computer crime being used as a justification for proposals to expand government powers, we have created a separate area of our Web site for these issues.

Our cyber-security page, http://www.cdt.org/security/, includes details about Carnivore, the Federal Intrusion Detection Network (FIDNet), and the Cyberspace Electronic Security Act, as well as other areas of interest.

We have greatly expanded our resources on government surveillance at http://www.cdt.org/wiretap/, where you will find --

• CDT's popular chart summarizing the rules under which the government can intercept your communications or seize your email;
• our overview of the FBI's Digital Storm program and law enforcement data networks utilizing the new digital technology to expand government surveillance power;
• updated information about the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA).

(4) CDT and Internews Outline Principles for Internet Policy

In nations around the world, the question is being posed: What legal and regulatory framework is needed for the Internet to flourish as an engine of economic growth, democracy and human development? In an overview for government and parliamentary officials, NGOs and the Internet industry, CDT and its partner Internews outline the policy principles that support the development of the Internet. http://www.cdt.org/international/principles/sld001.htm

(5) Online Domain Names Election Approaches; CDT Educates Voters

On October 1, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) will hold a first-ever online global election to choose five new members of its Board of Directors. ICANN is an important organization, managing the domain name system and other technical addressing functions. Twenty-seven men and women from five regions of the world will be competing for five seats. Over 70,000 Internet users have registered to vote. (Registration is now closed.)

CDT, Common Cause, and the Bertelsmann Foundation have constructed a new resource of information on the candidates, available at http://www.cdt.org/icann-election/.

The resource includes the candidates' responses to a questionnaire we sent on eight of the most pressing issues facing ICANN, including the introduction of new Top-Level Domains and the role of ICANN in resolving trademark disputes.

At the Web site, easy-to-read tables give a quick overview of where the candidates stand on the issues; visitors can then drill down to more elaborate policy statements provided by the candidates. CDT has also gathered lists of discussion fora, question-and-answer pages, and frequently asked questions pages in a number of different languages.

(6) Test the Publius Censorship Resistant Publishing Systemb

CDT is participating in the Publius research project. Publius is a Web-based publishing system developed by researchers at AT&T Labs. It allows anyone to publish information anonymously and in a manner that is highly resistant to censorship, surveillance and other government or third party controls. You can help test this system by publishing your own documents (photographs, web pages, any file less than 100K in size) through the Publius system. http://publius.cdt.org

(7) CDT Resource Library Is Expanded

We created this extensive listing of software tools, web sites, books and other publications to help you become more educated about civil liberties issues online. http://www.cdt.org/resourcelibrary/ We invite you to submit new resources to the library.

(8) Use Our New Feedback Feature

We would appreciate any feedback you can give us on our Web sites as well as the answer to any of these questions:

• What would you want to see at the web site?
• Would you want to participate in online chats with CDT staff, or with industry or government representatives?
• Would you use a set of discussion areas that would allow you to interact with other Netizens as well as CDT staff on specific topics?
• How useful would a calendar of upcoming conferences, meetings, and hearings be?
• Would regional information be useful to you? How should we define regional?

Feel free to send comments or suggestions to CDT at feedback@cdt.org.

Detailed information about online civil liberties issues may be found at http://www.cdt.org/.

This document may be redistributed freely in full or linked to http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_6.18.shtml.

Excerpts may be re-posted with prior permission of ari@cdt.org

Policy Post 6.18 Copyright 2000 Center for Democracy and Technology