----------------------------------------------------------------------------- _____ _____ _______ / ____| __ \__ __| ____ ___ ____ __ | | | | | | | | / __ \____ / (_)______ __ / __ \____ _____/ /_ | | | | | | | | / /_/ / __ \/ / / ___/ / / / / /_/ / __ \/ ___/ __/ | |____| |__| | | | / ____/ /_/ / / / /__/ /_/ / / ____/ /_/ (__ ) /_ \_____|_____/ |_| /_/ \____/_/_/\___/\__, / /_/ \____/____/\__/ The Center for Democracy and Technology /____/ Volume 2, Number 28 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A briefing on public policy issues affecting civil liberties online ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- CDT POLICY POST Volume 2, Number 28 July 21, 1996 CONTENTS: (1) FBI Director to Testify at Senate Crypto Hearing; Netizens Can Participate in Hearing Live Online (2) How Will the Cybercast Work? (3) Submit Your Comments for the Hearing Record (4) How to Subscribe/Unsubscribe (5) About CDT, contacting us ** This document may be redistributed freely with this banner intact ** Excerpts may be re-posted with permission of <editor@cdt.org> ** This document looks best when viewed in COURIER font ** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) FBI Director to Testify at Senate Crypto Hearing; Netizens can Participate in Hearing Live Online, Submit Testimony for the Record On Thursday July 25 the Full Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing to consider S. 1726, the 'Pro-CODE' bill designed to relax export controls on encryption. FBI Director Louis Freeh and other high-ranking Administration officials are scheduled to testify. A second panel of computer industry leaders, including Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale and others, will also give testimony for the committee. In an effort to ensure that concerned Internet users can participate in this important policy debate, the Senate Commerce Committee has arranged with CDT, VTW, HotWired, and DIGEX to bring the hearing live online. Netizens will also be able to submit testimony for the record. Details on the cybercast can be found below, or by visiting: http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/ This full committee hearing represents another important step forward towards passage of legislation designed to make encryption more widely available to computer users. Sponsored by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Larry Pressler (R-SD), Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS), Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), and others, the Pro-CODE bill is designed to encourage the widespread availability of strong privacy and security technologies for the Internet. The bill was the subject of two hearings held on June 12 and June 26 before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Space, and Technology. The June 26th hearing was the first Congressional hearing ever to be cybercast live on the Internet. (Details about that cybercast can be found at http://www.crypto.com/events/062696/). For more information, including the latest list of witnesses scheduled to testify at the July 25th hearing, background on the Pro-CODE bill, and other encryption issues, visit: Cybercast Information: - http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/ - http://www.hotwired.com/wiredside/ Background on the Encryption Debate: The Encryption Policy Resource Page - http://www.crypto.com/ The Internet Privacy Coalition - http://www.privacy.org/ipc/ Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) - http://www.cdt.org/crypto/ Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - http://www.eff.org/ Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)- http://epic.org/ Voters Telecommunications Watch (VTW) - http://www.vtw.org/ ________________________________________________________________________ (2) HOW WILL THE CYBERCAST WORK? The Cybercast has several components which combine to provide a unique opportunity for Netizens to participate in the democratic process and to encourage communication between Members of Congress and the Internet Community on critical Internet policy issues: * Live Audio Simulcast: Using RealAudio software, the audio portion of the hearing will be available live online. Audio transcripts of the hearing will also be archived online. * Simultaneous Interactive Discussion Forum: During the hearing, Senate Commerce Committee Staff and a representative of CDT will participate in an interactive "chat room" from inside the hearing room. Anyone with a telnet application can join the chat room, ask questions of the Senate staff, and discuss the issues with fellow Netizens. Participants will also have an opportunity to provide questions to the Committee Chairman to ask of the Witnesses. * Still Video Images: Video images from inside the hearing room will be uploaded to http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/ throughout the course of the hearing. HOW TO JOIN THE HEARING LIVE ONLINE On Thursday July 25 at 9:30am EDT (6:30am PDT/1330 GMT), point your web browser to: http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/ The Audio URL will be posted here, along with live pictures from the Hearing and a link to the online discussion forum. Additional information is also available at: http://www.hotwired.com/wiredside/ WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO PARTICIPATE: * RealAudio (available free at http://www.realaudio.com/) * Membership at HotWired (Membership is free. Visit http://www.hotwired.com/ for details.) * A World Wide Web Browser * A Telnet Application ________________________________________________________________________ (3) TELL CONGRESS WHY ENCRYPTION IS IMPORTANT TO YOU - ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Just like the previous hearing, you will be able to submit testimony online for inclusion in the Committee Record. Please be sure to visit http://www.crypto.com/ and add your voice to the debate over encryption policy on Capitol Hill. Responses will be tabulated and the results, along with selected statements, will be included in the Committee Record by Senator Larry Pressler. To add your voice to the crypto debate in Congress, visit: http://www.crypto.com/events/072596/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ (4) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION Be sure you are up to date on the latest public policy issues affecting civil liberties online and how they will affect you! Subscribe to the CDT Policy Post news distribution list. CDT Policy Posts, the regular news publication of the Center For Democracy and Technology, are received by nearly 10,000 Internet users, industry leaders, policy makers and activists, and have become the leading source for information about critical free speech and privacy issues affecting the Internet and other interactive communications media. To subscribe to CDT's Policy Post list, send mail to policy-posts-request@cdt.org with a subject: subscribe policy-posts If you ever wish to remove yourself from the list, send mail to the above address with a subject of: unsubscribe policy-posts ----------------------------------------------------------------------- (5) ABOUT THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND TECHNOLOGY/CONTACTING US The Center for Democracy and Technology is a non-profit public interest organization based in Washington, DC. The Center's mission is to develop and advocate public policies that advance democratic values and constitutional civil liberties in new computer and communications technologies. Contacting us: General information: info@cdt.org World Wide Web: URL:http://www.cdt.org/ FTP URL:ftp://ftp.cdt.org/pub/cdt/ Snail Mail: The Center for Democracy and Technology 1634 Eye Street NW * Suite 1100 * Washington, DC 20006 (v) +1.202.637.9800 * (f) +1.202.637.0968 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- End Policy Post 2.28 7/21/96 -----------------------------------------------------------------------