---------- Forwarded message begins here ---------- To Subscribers of the CDT Policy Post List: As you know, Congress last week approved sweeping restrictions on online speech by passing the Exon Communications Decency Act. President Clinton is expected to sign the bill into law as early as Thursday, Feb. 8. CDT has joined forces with the Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW) and other advocacy organizations including EFF, EPIC, the ACLU and People for the American Way to organize an Internet protest against the enactment of the CDA and to illustrate the far reaching effects of this legislation. Please join us and hundreds of thousands of Internet users by turning your world wide web pages black for 48 hours after the President signs the bill. Instructions on how to participate, along with information on how to find out exactly when the President will sign the bill, are included below. You can also visit CDT's 48 hours protest page at (http://www.cdt.org/speech.html). For more information on the Internet-censorship issue, including the text of the bill, analysis, and other relevant materials, please visit CDT's net-censorship web page (http://www.cdt.org/cda.html), or send email to <cda-info@cdt.org>. Thank you for your support! Jonah Seiger CDT Editor, <editor@cdt.org> ======================================================================== JOIN HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER INTERNET USERS IN * 48 HOURS OF PROTEST * AFTER PRESIDENT CLINTON SIGNS THE BILL THAT WILL CENSOR THE INTERNET Update: -Latest News: Congress passed the net censorship language on 2/1/96. -What You Can Do Now: Help demonstrate the extent of the impact of the Internet Censorship legislation. Join Hundreds of thousands of Internet Users in an International protest for 48 hours after Clinton Signs the bill. CAMPAIGN TO STOP THE UNCONSTITUTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT Feb 3, 1996 (expires Feb 29, 1996) PLEASE WIDELY REDISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT WITH THIS BANNER INTACT This alert and coalition coordinated by the Voters Telecommunications Watch (vtw@vtw.org) ________________________________________________________________________ CONTENTS The Latest News What You Can Do Now Chronology of the CDA For More Information List Of Participating Organizations ________________________________________________________________________ THE LATEST NEWS Last week Congress approved sweeping restrictions on online speech and conduct, imposing fines of $250,000 and jail sentences of 2 years for anyone who makes "indecent" material available in a public forum online. This legislation threatens the very existence of the Internet as a viable means of free expression, education, and political discourse. Despite loud objections from civil liberties groups and the public, the measure is part of a massive telecommunications bill that President Clinton has already pledged to sign. Although you should feel free to continue to express your objections directly to the President, there are other ways to express our outrage for this legislation. The President is expected to sign this bill into law during the week of Feb 5-9, 1996. For 48 hours after Clinton signs the Telecommunications Reform bill into law, join hundreds of thousands of Internet users everywhere to show the far reaching impact this bill will have on all Internet users. TURN YOUR WORLD WIDE WEB PAGES BLACK with white lettering to demonstrate that the Internet will not accept this kind of second class treatment from the United States Government. ________________________________________________________________________ WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW 1. For 48 hours after Clinton signs the net censorship language in the Telecomm bill into law, TURN YOUR WORLD WIDE WEB PAGES BLACK with white lettering. To know when the bill is signed, check these sources: Newsgroups: alt.society.civil-disob Email:vtw-announce@vtw.org (watch for mail on this list) WWW:http://www.vtw.org/ Finger:vtw@panix.com You can also just watch CNN; they'll announce the signing of the bill. To turn your pages black with white lettering, simply add the following tag to your World Wide Web pages: <body> <BODY BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#FFFFFF"> Put this right after your <head></head> tags, and before any </body> tags. To explain to people who may be confused by the color change, temporarily add the following link to your page: <a href="http://www.vtw.org/speech/">My World Wide Web Pages are black for 48 hours to protest second-class treatment from the US Government for free speech. Read about it at this WWW page.</a> The Center for Democracy and Technology has also agreed to mirror a similar page at URL:http://www.cdt.org/speech.html If your pages get lots of hits from services that cache their pages like America Online, you may wish to start turning your pages black early. Please try and wait though until Clinton signs the bill, for maximum effect. Also, urge your Internet Provider and any Internet WWW pages you frequent to turn their pages black. Send us interesting sites that comply to vtw@vtw.org. $ Mail vtw@vtw.org Subject: ZTV.COM is turning their pages black! I'm the head of the ZTV Website and I've decided to turn our pages black. Thought you'd like to know. ^D Mail sent! 2. Don't forget to send Clinton a message, contact him at: Email:president@whitehouse.gov Telephone:202-456-1111 Fax:202-456-2461 Sample communique: <ring ring> You're about to sign a bill into law that imposes a terrible set of speech restrictions on the Internet that belong in the broadcast medium, not the interactive one. I'm turning my World Wide Web pages BLACK for 48 hours after you sign the bill as a symbol of protest to show how many people will be affected by this bill. It is unlikely that he will veto the bill. 3. Make a commitment become involved! There will be several court cases coming up to challenge the Internet censorship legislation, as well as an election that will put every single member of the House, and 1/3rd of the Senate (most of whom voted for this legislation) onto the ballot. Don't let them get away with this. Make this a campaign issue, and keep an eye out for legal defense funds for those challenging these laws in court. ________________________________________________________________________ CHRONOLOGY OF THE COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT Feb 1, '96 The House and Senate pass the Telecomm Bill (S652/HR1555) 414-16 and 91-5. Jan 31, '96 The House and Senate prepare to signoff on the conference report for the Telecomm bill and rush a vote to the floor. Dec 7, '95 The House half of the Telecomm conference committee votes the "indecency" standard for online speech into the Telecomm Deregulation bill. Sep 26, '95 Sen. Russ Feingold urges committee members to drop Managers Amendment and the CDA from the Telecommunications Deregulation bill Aug 4, '95 House passes HR1555 which goes into conference with S652. Aug 4, '95 House votes to attach Managers Amendment (which contains new criminal penalties for speech online) to Telecommunications Reform bill (HR1555). Aug 4, '95 House votes 421-4 to attach HR1978 to Telecommunications Reform bill (HR1555). Jun 30, '95 Cox and Wyden introduce the "Internet Freedom and Family Empowerment Act" (HR 1978) as an alternative to the CDA. Jun 21, '95 Several prominent House members publicly announce their opposition to the CDA, including Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), Rep. Chris Cox (R-CA), and Rep. Ron Wyden (D-OR). Jun 14, '95 The Senate passes the CDA as attached to the Telecomm reform bill (S 652) by a vote of 84-16. The Leahy bill (S 714) is not passed, but is supported by 16 Senators who understand the Internet. May 24, '95 The House Telecomm Reform bill (HR 1555) leaves committee in the House with the Leahy alternative attached to it, thanks to Rep. Ron Klink of (D-PA). The Communications Decency Act is not attached to it. Apr 7, '95 Sen. Leahy (D-VT) introduces S.714, an alternative to the Exon/Gorton bill, which commissions the Dept. of Justice to study the problem to see if additional legislation (such as the CDA) is necessary. Mar 23, '95 S314 amended and attached to the telecommunications reform bill by Sen. Gorton (R-WA). Language provides some provider protection, but continues to infringe upon email privacy and free speech. Feb 21, '95 HR1004 referred to the House Commerce and Judiciary committees Feb 21, '95 HR1004 introduced by Rep. Johnson (D-SD) Feb 1, '95 S314 referred to the Senate Commerce committee Feb 1, '95 S314 introduced by Sen. Exon (D-NE) and Gorton (R-WA). ________________________________________________________________________ FOR MORE INFORMATION Web Sites (roughly in alphabetical order) URL:http://www.vtw.org/ URL:http://www.cdt.org/cda.html URL:http://www.cpsr.org/ URL:http://www.eff.org/pub/Alerts/ URL:http://epic.org/ Email: cda-info@cdt.org (General CDA information) cda-stat@cdt.org (Current status of the CDA) ________________________________________________________________________ LIST OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS AND BUSINESSES In order to use the net more effectively, several organizations have joined forces on a single Congressional net campaign to stop the Communications Decency Act. Because the list is so long, we've been forced to omit many fine organizations. See the VTW Free Speech Web Page at URL:http://www.vtw.org/speech/ for the whole list. Public Interest Organizations Businesses Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW) | ECHO (www.echonyc.com) | Hotwired (www.hotwired.com) Center For Democracy And Technology (CDT) | Mindvox (www.phantom.com) Center for Public Representation (CPR) | Panix (www.panix.com) Computer Professionals for | The WELL (www.well.com) Social Responsibility (CPSR) | Wired (www.wired.com) Cyber-Rights Campaign +------------------------- Electronic Fronter Foundation (EFF), and independent regional Electronic Frontier organizations Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Feminists for Free Expression Hands! Off The Net Internet Users Consortium (IUC) Joint Artists' and Music The Libertarian Party (LP) Promotions Political Action National Campaign for Freedom of Expression Committee (JAMPAC) National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) National Gay and Lesbian National Writers Union (NWU) Task Force (NGLTF) People for the American Way (PFAW) Republican Liberty Caucus ________________________________________________________________________ End Alert ========================================================================